It was by pure coincidence that I saw this movie. When I heard that the movie flopped, I was very surprised. I considered it to be funny, entertaining and with great music. One of the best movies I saw in 2003, only to be beat by Amelie.

A better than expected "star" vehicle for Charlotte Church's film debut. She inevitably gets some criticism for just being herself in normal life but in this film she is at least as good as most 16 year old actresses with possibly rather more training would be albeit it's true that to some extent she is playing herself. I've always thought Jemma Redgrave to be a wooden actress but she isn't too bad here and does a good job of looking extremely proud of her daughter by the end. The flashback when she plays herself at 18 stretches the imagination though.

Joss Ackland is quite effective as the old rocker of a grandfather. He seems to be having a ball singing with the rock band and it is his own voice. I just about remembered he has sung in the past and played Juan Peron on the original album of Evita.

Craig Ferguson is in mixed form as the rock star. Early on he is a caricature and doesn't act very well in the attempt but as the character calms down he gives a better performance.

Overall a good family film - A predictable ending (It was obvious what Charlotte's closing song in the film would be from very early on - Anbd the title gave another clue) but none the worse for that.

12 October 2010. Before there was a television musical series Glee (2009) and two years after the blockbuster of Moulin Rouge (2001) that made the musical genre comeback and a year after that the Oscar Best Picture Chicago came out, the obscure English movie I'll Be There was released directed and written by Craig Ferguson who would become a major television network late-night talk show host on CBS. This family, drama, musical was a unique fusion of genres that took itself seriously. Mr. Ferguson's performance in contrast to his talk show host persona was not in evidence two years earlier and is a testament to his acting ability to portray a different character without the character types that often slip into an actor's roles on screen.

What makes this movie stand out is its integrity and commitment to developing its characters and storyline with more passion and depth, creating a substantive and compelling movie that sustains a level of interpersonal complexity and tension that is usually reserved for quality movies and avoided by low-budget, knock offs. While perhaps the storyline isn't very original, the script does an amazing job of fleshing out both the drama as well as the humor/comedy that never reaches the slapstick, dumb-downed comedy of mindless stand up comedy. The musical renditions are powerful and the beginning split between two musical scenes is an amazing and captivating opening and quickly captures the audiences attention with emotion.

If one attends to this movie carefully, Ferguson has crafted this movie with excellent editing, unique use of split screen and the interweaving of music with the storyline. The cinematography is actually some of the most well designed and the camera work nicely composed. It's really an amazing piece of work that balances wit, drama, and family entertainment.

In a number of ways, this is a family version of Moulin Rouge for young adults and it contains relevant themes for today's contemporary society that both can resonate for juveniles and parents alike.