38 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
38 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
i remember making a pact , right after `patch adams' , to not be easily be suckered by movies dripping with sentimentality .
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but darn it , `music of the heart' is just layered with feel-good material and bright characterizations .
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it's hard to dislike a movie that uses such skill with it's manipulation .
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in addition , it's also a terrific family film .
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this is the true story of violin teacher roberta guaspari , who fought the school board to keep the musical program active in a handful of inner city harlem schools .
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it could also be described as `mrs .
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streep's opus' .
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yes , meryl streep brings her dramatic clout to the demanding role of guaspari , and that brings both good news and bad .
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out of the gate , possibly because of her distracting star power and the rushed writing , it is relatively difficult to identify with roberta's character and grasp her academic point-of-view .
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she is very strict with her students , but what insight does that create into the story ?
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slowly but surely , we begin to recognize the intentions of the character , and show admiration for the thoughtfulness and human feeling that streep has once again applied .
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one thoroughly interesting fact about `music of the heart' lies with the unlikely presence in the director's chair : horror veteran wes craven .
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after leaving an impression with the `scream' films and the original `nightmare on elm street' , craven has attempted a precarious cross-over to drama .
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at first , his inexperience with the genre is fairly obvious , but as the film progresses craven finds a surprisingly comfortable niche with directing this material .
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it doesn't carry the heart-warming courage of `mr .
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holland's opus' , but `music of the heart' is casually assured and filled with little morsels of dramatic truth .
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the tag team of streep and craven works better than you would anticipate .
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yes , oscar could come calling once again for meryl streep , but it's the solid ensemble cast that makes `music of the heart' work .
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angela bassett displays her usual forceful stamina as janet williams , the principal at an inner city school who initially doesn't hire roberta because of her lack of experience .
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blue-eyed adian quinn is endearing , as always , playing a new love interest .
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gloria estefan also delivers in the tiny role of a supportive second-grade teacher , and the three lead actresses together produce a flaming fireball of estrogenic force .
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it's like a schoolteacher's version of `thelma and louise' , in a restrained but effective manner .
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the movie tackles more issues than just guaspari's teaching of violin .
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there's some powerful moments between roberta and her two sons , who must cope when their father leaves them for another woman .
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in it's dramatic build-up , the movie manages to produce some authentic moments of feeling and warmth .
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it's a good movie for anyone to see , although missing out on the experience would not be a life-altering decision .
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it's commendable of wes craven to be attempting such a difficult cross-over , and also for achieving his intricate goal .
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watching this heartfelt chick flick about morals and musical instruments , who may ask yourself : this is the guy who directed `scream' ?
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of course , when the third installment of that series comes around in february 2000 ( with craven directing ) , you may find yourself wondering : this is the guy who directed `music of the heart' ?
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mission accomplished , wes .
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thankfully , there is no layer of artificial sentiment covering the film .
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in it's entirety , it's a wholesome and agreeable movie for the whole family , despite the periodic flaws that surface every once in awhile .
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the child actors are cute and perform up to par , even if some of their problems are clich ? d and predictable in the extreme .
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the mother who doesn't want her son to be learning `white man's music' , the unexpected casuality . . .
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basically everything is there .
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it doesn't strike the perfect chord , but `music of the heart' is highly convincing .
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the uplifting true story of roberta guaspari could have been told better , but `music of the heart' is still edifying enough to properly divulge her morals .
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