MissSimonetta I watched this because on Whose Line is it Anyway they always brought it up to mock it. Before I finally sat down to see it, I read the reviews here on IMDb and was surprised to find that virtually everyone seemed to love it so much. I had no idea what to expect going in.The story is essentially the plot of the 1940 Pinocchio except told from the point of view of his father, Geppetto. It's a parable about the hardships of parenting, which isn't as easy as the toymaker had hoped it would be once he gets a son of his own. Believing Pinocchio is somehow defective since he doesn't listen to the rules or wish to be exactly like him, he tries to get the Blue Fairy to correct her "mistake", causing the puppet to run away. The rest of the plot concerns Geppetto's quest to find him and make things right, learning about parental love along the way.It's not a bad premise; actually, it's quite interesting, however, I just didn't care for the execution. If the 1940 animated film was a watered down version of Collodi's original book, then Geppetto is a watered down version of the 1940 animated film. It felt rather cloying to me.. I didn't find the musical numbers that memorable save for a scene where Geppetto and the Blue Fairy seem to be channeling Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, though I will admit Drew Carey has a pretty good voice. It's not technically perfect, but he lends the right amount of emotion. Most of the acting was quite good too, though I did find Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Blue Fairy to be grating. The production values are wanting, but I didn't expect anything too elaborate as this is a television movie after all.Geppetto is not a terrible movie; it's a cute little musical that's not too elaborate, and judging from everyone else's reactions, they really enjoyed it. I'm just probably missing something.

overzeetop If you can get past seeing and hearing Drew Carey in a serious role, a sickly sweet British accent used by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and a horrible makeup job on Pinocchio, this a a fun movie for the older crowd that remembers Pinocchio. Younger kids will like the film for the songs and dance numbers. You might say that this is a prequel to the Wicked genre - a familiar tale told from an alternate point of view. You'll find bits of sharp with below the surface at times, and they'll smack you in the face with it at other times.Once you get past the negatives, this is - as other reviewers have mentioned - a return of the old style musical. The rest of the cast is fantastic, with engaging performances from practically all the supporting roles. While I'll admit the music can be pretty sugary, the big production numbers lots of fun, and Geppetto's ballads very lyrical. There's no Defying Gravity in this libretto, but there are a couple of tunes you might catch yourself humming (Toys, Satisfaction Guaranteed, Pleasure Island).I'm torn between a 6 and a 7 for this film. I think, as a traditional silver-screen musical, it works well enough to be a keeper. I happen to like Drew Carey (though not in this role) so I'm going to round my score up. I think with a better effect budget (or simply better executed effects) and two new leads, this could be a solid 8-9.

Neal The Disney folks must be applauded for reviving the live-action movie musical (albeit on television); it wasn't hard to improve on John Huston's gruesome film of ANNIE, but the Disney version actually seemed an improvement on the overrated Broadway show. And it's always fun to see stars not primarily known their for singing and dancing kick up their heels (if you haven't seen Kathy Bates' spectacular turn in ANNIE, rent it now.) So it's disheartening to report that GEPPETTO isn't even in the ballpark. Ostensibly a retelling of the Pinocchio story from his father's point of view, it will probably bore kids and puzzle most adults.Admirably, Drew Carey as Geppetto displays none of his sitcom or stand-up personae, but hasn't found any persuasive replacement. It doesn't help that the character as written is pretty much a simpering wimp or that his wig appears to be the one originally worn by Patty Duke as the American twin on her old TV series; Carey could be auditioning for a biopic about The Turtles. In fact, the whole production has the look and sound of the kind of expensively cheesy sixties musicals that helped bury the genre: technically slick and impressive without being attractive or appealing. The tone, however, is pure nineties: guilty parents can only find happiness by learning to obey their children.Hearing just a few bars each of "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "I've Got No Strings" here is enough to illustrate how uninspired Stephen Schwartz's score is. Schwartz seems at fault too for pushing Carey, who has a more than adequate singing voice, beyond his range; he could and should have sounded a lot more comfortable. As a hazily-conceived Blue Fairy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus attempts an unsuccessful homage to Billie Burke in THE WIZARD OF OZ, but also reveals a very pretty soprano behind the affected diction. Poor Usher Raymond gets stuck with the worst song, and though he looks like he could dance up a storm he's barely given the chance. Brent Spiner, with vocal chops to spare, comes off best, but then again he is playing the villain (and gets the best hair, too.)It would be churlish to complain about Seth Adkins' whiny performance as Pinocchio; nearly all of the child actors have been directed to whine and sulk brattily, the better to manipulate their supplicatory parents. But the sheer awfulness of his costume and makeup is indicative of the production's creative clumsiness. With a grotesquely streaked face and awkward, artificial "puppet" joints, Pinocchio looks less like a little wooden boy than the unfortunate victim of some horrible real-life disease.

deepspace93 I have to say that I really enjoyed this movie, and thought it was much better than the Jonathan Taylor Thomas version. While the JTT one had better special FX, this one had much better direction and script-writing. Also the fact that it was a musical made it all that much more enjoyable. Brent Spiner (Star Trek TNG's Data) was wonderful as Stromboli. And Rene Auberjonois (Star Trek DS9's Odo) was magnificent as Buonragazzo. I highly recommend this film, and will probably buy it on video.