Music of the Heart (cont.)

TIFF [1999]

Music of the Heart

Previous Page

10 YEARS LATER: Roberta's violin class is now a successful program that spans three of Harlem's schools. Membership is limiting, and students are literally enrolling in a lottery for admission. But when the dreaded budget cut comes down, Roberta finds her programs on the verge of eradication. When a blind date (Jay O. Sanders), arranged by her now-teenaged sons, learns of the situation, he arranges for a connection, reporter Dorothea Von Haeften (Jane Leeves) to cover Roberta's story for the New York Times. Dorothea's husband, renowned violinist Arnold Steinhardt (playing himself), suggests a charitable concert to raise money, and enlists the help of his fellow pros Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Mark O'Connor, Michael Tree, and Diane Monroe to join the children onstage.

Will the event, "Fiddlefest", raise the necessary funds? Will the children master their instruments in time? What will Roberta do when the original venue becomes unavailable? Do they really have what it takes to play Carnegie Hall? You likely already know the answers....<g>.

ROBERT L 'S REVIEW

Most films run out of momentum as they play themselves out, but Music Of The Heart is one of those rare entries that gets BETTER as it goes along. From the opening song from Gloria Estefan, sung over heartwarming photos of Roberta and family, I was prepared for the worst. "When did Craven turn into Nancy Meyer and Charles Shyer?" I muttered to myself, as I took in the mushy, melodramatic first act and wished I'd had something harder in my Styrofoam cup than the Dark Roast.

Talk Back

Most "based on a true story" feature films are anything BUT true. What generally repels me against this genre (if one can call it that) is the usual cop-out to flesh out the interesting, actual events of the story with melodramatic cliches from your average TV movie starring Patty Duke (or John Schneider: remember the Michael Landon howler?). Certainly, the first half of "Music Of The Heart" is chock full of groaners: the nagging mother, Roberta's fights with her children over accusations of "driving Daddy away", the quarrels with her new beau, the Evil Music Teacher who tells Roberta she'll never succeed, the son who gets in with the Wrong Crowd, yadda yadda. Pretty standard, obvious, sugar-coated stuff.

Then something wonderful happens after the subtitle "Ten Years Later": "Music Of The Heart" transforms into an engrossing, even suspenseful, drama full of beautiful music and charming (if self-conscious) performances by genuine violin masters once the script sheds all the fiction and concentrates on the facts of the ordeal to stage "Fiddlefest.

In many ways, there's nothing in this film that couldn't be told just as effectively as a Movie Of The Week. But I think the climactic concert would lose something on the small screen, as the wide screen is necessary to capture the grandeur of Carnegie Hall and the Dolby Stereo essential to the power of the music. Craven's decades as a horror director have served him well: the pacing throughout is fast and the film covers a LOT of ground in its two-hour-plus running time. The cutting and scripting of the final 30 minutes is exhilarating; matched with Streep's typically seemingly-effortless performance in someone else's skin, only the most hardened cynic will fail to become caught up in Roberta's crusade. The film's overall message on the importance of music education is more than relevant in today's climate, where public school arts programs are usually the first to be chopped.

Okay then, Wes, you proved your point. Now, bring on Scream 3.

RobertL

Talk Back

Reviews:All the RageBreakfast of ChampionsGamera 3: Revenge of IrisJakob the LiarMusic of the HeartPrincess MononokeThe Big Brass Ring The LimeyThe War Zone