The Fantasticks, the film version of the off-Broadway musical that's still running after a record-breaking forty years, was shot five years ago by director Michael Ritchie. No release until now. Uh-oh. Disaster? Pretty much. It was folly for Ritchie to shoot a spare theatrical piece against the sweeping landscapes of the Arizona prairie. But the folly sometimes pays off. Joe McIntyre, of New Kids on the Block, and Jean Louisa Kelly catch just the right note of youthful yearning in their voices…

"Romeo and Juliet" with a parental twist, set in the 1920s Midwest as a musical. Who thought of this?

Story

Based on the longest-running show in the history of the U.S. stage, "The Fantasticks" is the story of two fathers (Brad Sullivan and Broadway legend Joel Grey) who enlist a traveling carnival's magician (Jonathon Morris) to get their two children, Matt (Joe McIntyre, late of New Kids on the Block) and Luisa (Jean Louisa Kelly), together with an elaborate scheme. Drama and musical numbers…