Songcatcher (2000)

74% of critics liked it
(87 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(2,299 ratings)

Janet McTeer follows up her Oscar-nominated performance in Tumbleweeds (1999) with this period drama set during the 1910s. Dr. Lily Penleric (McTeer), an uptight musicologist, is furious after getting denied tenure again at an elite all-male East Coast university. She promptly quits out of protest,… More Janet McTeer follows up her Oscar-nominated performance in Tumbleweeds (1999) with this period drama set during the 1910s. Dr. Lily Penleric (McTeer), an uptight musicologist, is furious after getting denied tenure again at an elite all-male East Coast university. She promptly quits out of protest, and having nowhere else to go, she joins her sister in a remote mountain school. Her high-minded, refined ways quickly clash with the locals, yet her academic interests are peaked when she realizes that this bucolic mountain culture is thoroughly infused with music that harkens back to traditional English and Scottish folk ballads. After retrieving some tools, including a primitive recording device, from the East Coast, she sets out collecting songs. The locals react with a mixture of amusement, bafflement, and suspicion. Meanwhile, a mining company is strong-arming the impoverished residences into selling their coal-rich land for a pittance. Lily soon realizes that the culture she's seeking to preserve is quickly being torn asunder. Aidan Quinn and David Patrick Kelly also appear in this film, which was screened at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 52 min.
Directed By: Maggie Greenwald
Written By: Maggie Greenwald
Genres: Drama, Romance, Musical & Performing Arts

In Theaters: Jun 29, 2001 Limited
On DVD: Oct 23, 2001
Studio: Lions Gate

Critic Reviews

Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
Like the main character, it's stodgy and didactic -- and full of grace and surprises.
Dennis Harvey, Variety
Songcatcher unfolds at a leisurely but enjoyable pace, its dramatic contrivances never pushed too hard by director Maggie Greenwald.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
No matter how purely sung, the music keeps getting lost in the melodrama.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
A wonderfully crafted movie in a minor key.
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
Tall, big-boned Janet McTeer ... is the ideal actress to play Lily Penleric.
(CNN.com) Paul Clinton, CNN.com
A beautifully crafted story about a time and place rarely captured on film.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
an uneven path, like the mountainous scenery itself
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Never overcomes its overly familiar story and structure, even with some catchy traditional music generously spread throughout.
Frank Lovece, TV Guide's Movie Guide
In this exceptional film, mercifully free of the usual warm and fuzzy movie sentimentality, director Maggie Greenwald and her fine cast shatter most hillbilly stereotypes.
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
If you enjoyed O Brother and its ilk, or appreciate ballads and Appalachian music, then this film is definitely worth a rental.
Brandon Judell, Detour Magazine
This slice of trenchant Americana, grabs you by your lapels, churns you up a bit, and soon has you slapping your knees with blissful exuberance
Andrea Chase, Killer Movie Reviews
the presentation [of mountain music]evokes its deep emotions and a beauty that comes from life experience, not the pre-packaged pap courtesy of slick marketing types.
Kimberley Jones, Austin Chronicle
Buy the soundtrack. Skip the film.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
Songcatcher is better than 75% of films in theaters today, blending the earthy integrity of the rural poor with the honest performances of a talented cast.
Rich Cline, Film Threat
Such a lyrical, moving independent film is a rare thing to find; Songcatcher is gorgeously made, perfectly cast and thoroughly engaging.
Rachel Deahl, Boxoffice Magazine
Though writer/director Maggie Greenwald wraps her story around a wincingly trite yarn ... she keeps her film afloat by focusing on the music. But, when the tunes stop, so does the magic.
Jean Lowerison, San Diego Metropolitan
Forget the silly plot; see this for the music.
Margaret A. McGurk, Cincinnati Enquirer
The music, lovingly performed by such paragons as Alison Kraus, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal and Iris Dement, takes on the importance of a character in the movie.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
The movie becomes more than just a story about the music, of course, as McTeer's musicologist comes to understand and appreciate the locals' way of life... and maybe there'll be a little romance along the way?
Peg Aloi, Boston Phoenix
Promising but ultimately disappointing historically derived ﬁction.

Read all 23 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Lovely small film with beautiful music.
Cindy I

The film, about a female music scholar's study of Appalachian mountain music, is slow, but the music is SO worth it.
Dannielle A

Lily always had a wide-eyed stare, no matter what emotion she was showing. There were lots of random events, unrelated to the story line and the movie was fairly predictable overall.