Drummer Boy: A Review

DRUMMER BOY

I think Drummer Boy could have come out earlier this year given its Revolutionary War setting. As the title is an echo of the traditional Yuletide song, I think the filmmakers opted to bring it closer to Christmas. The Drummer Boy trailer has us imagine a slightly comical take given how we see the title character sing the Christmas song as he marches towards the enemy. Said trailer, however, does not prepare the viewer for how oddball, albeit sincere, Drummer Boy is.

In Christmas, 1762, the Clem family sails from Britain to the New World. Nathaniel Clem (Ioan Gruffudd) is a soldier in His Majesty's Army, convinced that in the colonies, he and his family will be free. One person who won't be free is Emmaline, the young slave of Lord Balfour (Charles Esten), the Clem family's wealthier friend. Lord Balfour's daughter, Lady Elizabeth, has something of a love-hate relationship with Emmaline. Unbeknownst to anyone, Nathaniel's older son, Jeremiah, has been teaching Emmaline to read, specifically Galatians 3:28 (There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ). Just as they spot land, the French attack. In the sea battle, Nathaniel is killed, and his youngest son, Benjamin, is injured and left with a permanently damaged leg.

Twelve years later, Jeremiah (codirector Joel David Smallbone) and Benjamin (Lucas Leach) are somewhat successful grainers. A major client is Lord Balfour, with whom the Clems have kept good relations despite the differences in class. Jeremiah pines for Lady Elizabeth (Beth Easdown). In turn, Emmaline (India Brown) pines for Jeremiah. Benjamin pines only for the chance to beat to the rhythm. There is trouble in the colonies, as news of Lexington and Concord has reached the village of Kingston. Benjamin is very much for the rebels. Jeremiah, more concerned about business, wants to stay out of the whole matter. Ben's open support for the Revolution, however, causes so many problems that Jeremiah feels compelled to join the British Army. As their mother Rachel (Melora Hardin) watches helplessly, first Jeremiah and then Benjamin join to fight the other.

Jeremiah is a born, albeit reluctant, leader. Lord Balfour, under whose command Jeremiah is under, is convinced the rebels will fall easily. Jeremiah sees the war as also a chance to win Lady Elizabeth's favor in marriage. Lady Elizabeth, however, is noncommittal, to where she does not reply to his barrage of letters. Emmaline, however, does reply, making him think that Elizabeth is the "E" who signs the messages. Jeremiah and Emmaline fall in love over correspondence.

Benjamin is rejected for service due to his leg. His tenacity, stubbornness and mastery of the drum, however, wins over Revolutionary commander Major Ambrose (Iain Glen). Ben soon proves himself able to stir the men to battle himself. Inevitably, the Clem brothers do face off. So do Elizabeth and Emmaline, whose family connection proves more shocking than Emmaline's ability to read and write, which is forbidden to slaves. Elizabeth viciously destroys Emmaline's emancipation papers even though Emmaline has bought her own freedom. The war comes to Kingston, thanks to Balfour putting his own interests ahead of the Crown's. Will the brothers reconcile? Will Emmaline and her older BFF Margaret (Beverly Knight) be free? 

The thing that I think will surprise, if not downright shock, anyone entering Drummer Boy is that the film is a musical. A bonafide, certified, singing and dancing musical. People expecting a straightforward drama might be astonished to see and hear the characters break out into song. It, in retrospect, perhaps not be a surprise given that codirector Joel Smallbone makes up half of the contemporary Christian group for King & Country. Joel's younger brother Ben is Drummer Boy's other director. for King & Country wrote the film's musical numbers.

As I was not expecting a musical, I was a bit flabbergasted by it all. I like musicals. I just was not expecting one. A musical rises and falls on the numbers. Drummer Boy has a surprising sameness to many of its numbers. I would not say that all the songs were bad. Some, to be fair, were pleasant. Wildflower, for example, is Emmaline's solo number where she sings about how she sees herself and her aspirations for freedom. Same Blood, which becomes something of a trio between Jeremiah, Benjamin and Emmaline, works rather well in its dual meaning of "same blood" (between siblings and between races). That might lay on the symbolism a bit too thick, but few if any Drummer Boy musical numbers go for subtlety. 

Others, however, do not work so well. Who I Hope to Be, which I think Drummer Boy thinks of as the big showstopping number, falters when it is paired with a very anachronistic ballroom dance scene. Granted, I know Drummer Boy is not interested in historical accuracy. This is clear from the get-go, as the song The Little Drummer Boy was not written until 1941. Including The Little Drummer Boy in Drummer Boy makes as much sense as having the Balfour slaves serenade Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas to their masters. From what I've gathered, the Smallbones are particularly fond of The Little Drummer Boy, so logic and history be damned. Yet I digress.

Many of Drummer Boy's musical numbers seem bizarrely out of place. There is the aforementioned ballroom dance. There is a big musical number at the grainery that looks closer to Bring in da Noise! Bring in da Funk! than a standard movie musical. Heart of a Lion, the Clem brothers' duet, sounds far too contemporary and on-the-nose lyrically about their situation. 

One might be astonished, maybe even a bit aghast at the musical moments popping up. It is to Drummer Boy's credit, though, that the performers' total sincerity drowns out the giggles threatening to come out of one's throat. The musical performances were mostly good. Of particular note is India Brown as Emmaline. I could picture Brown doing well on a Broadway or West End stage.

The same goes for her acting. Again, credit to Drummer Boy for giving us a rarely seen perspective: that of slaves during the American Revolution. Brown is eloquent and elegant for most of Drummer Boy. We get a montage of voiceovers of Jeremiah and Emmaline as Elizabeth's correspondence. Brown outdid Smallbone in this sequence. She even managed to make screenwriter Richard L. Ramsey's sometimes leaden dialogue sound good. As she and Margaret read the Declaration of Independence, Emmaline comments, "Mr. Jefferson wrote that. I can see the contradiction. I suspect Mr. Jefferson does too". It is only when Elizabeth speaks openly about her and Emmaline's connection where Brown stumbles somewhat, coming across as less stunned and more disinterested.

Joel Smallbone has been popping up quite a bit in film. He played his father in Unsung Hero. He had a small role in Young Washington, another Revolutionary War-set film. He was Herod's son in Journey to Bethlehem. I figure that he is determined to be a film star along with a music star. I was not particularly impressed with Smallbone's performance. He was all right, but I did think he was perhaps a bit too focused on the musical numbers than on the dramatic moments.

Lucas Leach seemed to go the other route from Smallbone. He doubled down on the "intense" manner to where it veered close to farce. Melora Hardin and Iain Glen brought a bit more gravitas as the Widow Clem and Major Ambrose respectively. While the dinner scene between Jeremiah, Rachel and Benjamin was a bit formal and stiff, Hardin's numbers were more sincerely played. Glen has a wonderful moment where he talks about his lost family that is surprisingly moving. Beth Easdown probably fared worse as Lady Elizabeth. There was something over-the-top as the evil rich white mean girl. It was as if she was trying too hard.

Drummer Boy had a very curious subplot involving two colonial soldiers who came across as the Revolutionary Laurel and Hardy. They would banter and comment on Benjamin and everything else going on around them. They were not specifically comic relief, but they were an oddity in the film.

I can roll with Drummer Boy's sincerity. I think that, at two hours, the film is longer than it needs to be. I also think that perhaps if Drummer Boy had been a straight drama versus a musical, it would have been stronger. Drummer Boy is sincere but slightly missed the mark. 

DECISION: C-