First of all, it is Streep that holds this film together. Bar none our finest
chameleon working today, Streep consistently wears the mask of beauty/homeliness so
well and manages always to come off sincere and honest. The story of a down-and-out
music teacher (Streep), who happens to be neurotic and very talented at the same time
can go either way. Where it could have become a sappy, manipulative formula-laden
film, 'Music of the Heart' (possibly the worst possible title imaginable) never sinks into
that ditch. It’s a surprisingly endearing and realistically passionate film.

 When Streep loses her husband to another woman, she packs up her kids and
moves into Harlem where an old friend (Aidan Quinn) sets her up with a principal at an
inner city school whom he’s written a piece about. Read the names above and guess who
plays the overbearing, hardass of a principal. (That’s right, it’s Tina Turner herself,
Angela Bassett, finally putting her over-the-top-with-a-chip-on-the-shoulder mood into a
part that’s worthy of it.) Streep begins to teach young children how to appreciate and,
ultimately, how to play the violin like masters. Her love life dips in and out of focus, but
the film’s major conflict comes when the school cuts the funding and she has to raise the
money herself by giving a concert at Carnegie Hall and inviting celebrity violin players.
Good way to earn money, right?

 The real winning attributes striking this viewer were it’s attention to the little
victories in life that keep us from fearing loss and continuing. For this ladder, these
details make perfect rungs for the movie to climb upon and bring about a winning and
exciting conclusion, even though it’s culling it out of true life. Usually when a life story
is adapted into a narrative form, it’s botched in one or more ways. This film, with it’s
frustration and power etched right on it’s characters mugs, does not fall too far from
comparison to the great tradition of British “mad-till-you’re-red-in-the-face” films ('In the
Name of the Father', 'Brassed Off').

 The film is extremely naturalistic, following the fold and creating a decent film
out of a near-perfect story. Being based on true events, it struggles with being snuggled too
tight in a blueprint and nearly, just nearly misses avoiding it at every turn. It’s smart
enough to hide it’s familiarity, but not original enough to make us forget what we’re
watching, which is, esssentially a three-act play about a woman who goes from nothing to
everything by struggling uphill and eventually beating all the odds.

(It’s only other weak link is Gloria Estefan, also struggling uphill and eventually beating us with the oddball dialogue she seems to have no control of. Singing ! Stick with the singing!)

 Oh, and I cried through the whole thing. Does that rob me of my objectivity?

AND ONE MORE THING.....

I recently found out that I had reccomended this film to someone indirectly and that this person ended up truly hating the movie - - and probably doubting my film cricket ability.

And I wrote an apology to her - - in which I also culled the real reason I liked this film from my subconscious - without the aid of a shrink.