Choirboys, The, 1977, R, 1 hr 59 min

The Choirboys

Age Rating: R

Runtime: 119 minutes

Studio: Universal Pictures

Country of Origin: United States

Franchise: Standalone

Franchise Position: N/A

A gritty and darkly comedic look at what happens when a group of Los Angeles patrol officers wind down after work with the “choir practice” of ritual drunken revelry, only to spiral into chaos and moral ambiguity. 

Ratings:

My Rating: 5.7

The Dove Foundation: Not rated

IMDb: 5.6 

Rotten Tomatoes: 40% 

Metacritic: 21 

TMDb: N/A

Plot Summary:

Based on the novel by Joseph Wambaugh, the film follows a cohort of LAPD officers who call themselves the “choirboys”—not for singing, but for debauched after‑shift gatherings they euphemistically label “choir practice.” The story covers a week in their lives: excessive drinking, carousing, crude antics, and ultimately a tragic‑tinged shift into a shooting incident that triggers a cover‑up among the group. Through these events, the film probes themes of exhaustion, cynicism, power, moral erosion, and the toll of routine policing. 

Critics Review:

Critically it was widely panned. The film’s fragmented structure, heavy‑handed tone, off‑kilter comedy and militaristic macho humor were cited as major weaknesses. Some reviewers called it “cheap and nasty” and decried its portrayal of police brutality, sexism and racism as neither enlightening nor entertaining. Although its cast (including Charles Durning, Louis Gossett Jr., James Woods and Perry King) was strong, the consensus is that the film failed to deliver the depth or moral insight of the source novel. 

Christian Perspective:

The Choirboys presents a bleak outlook on authority, camaraderie and moral slackening. From a Christian‑value perspective, the film offers few positive role models: the protagonists often fail to act with integrity, discipline or compassion, instead succumbing to excess, cruelty, and moral drift. That said, one could view the film as a cautionary tale of what can happen when duty lacks purpose, character is undeveloped, and peer culture overrides ethical responsibility. It underscores the Christian themes of servant‑leadership, accountability, respect for dignity, and moral courage—but in reverse: here we see the consequences when those virtues are absent.

Family Friendliness:

Not recommended for families. The R rating reflects adult themes, pervasive drinking, sexual content, coarse language, and morally problematic behavior. The film contains violence, sexual innuendo, racial/homophobic slurs and scenes that portray law‑enforcement misconduct in a comedic or uncritical light.

Notable Songs:

N/A