MUSIC OF THE HEART
Meryl Streep is wonderful, of course; she's the reason the film isn't
a total waste of time. Streep's subtle timing and natural delivery lend
incredible spontanaeity to her work, an effect all actors strive for but
few achieve. Craven, taking time off from directing horror movies, does
an adequate job with Streep and a cast of children, many of whom are actual
members of Guaspari's famous Harlem violin class. But since almost every
scene in the first two-thirds of the film requires that some cast member
cry, there's only so much Craven can do. It's hard to make an impact while
wading through syrup.
Roberta (Streep) is a recently divorced Navy wife who needs a job. At
the suggestion of a friend (Aidan Quinn), she applies for a substitute teaching
position at an East Harlem elementary school. Though the principal (Angela
Bassett) at first turns her down for lack of experience, she auditions for
the job by bringing in her two sons, Nick and Lexi (Michael Angarano and
Henry Dinhofer) and having them play. Based on the accomplishment of having
taught her own two kids to play so well, Roberta his hired. Before long
she has established a children's violin program that is so rigorous and
successful, the class appears at Carnegie Hall alongside violin greats like
Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, and many others (who, by the way, all appear
in the film as themselves).
Like I said, a great story. Besides Streep's excellent work, there are other standout performances like those of Charlie Hofheimer and Kieran Culkin, who play Nick and Lexi as teenagers, and Bassett as the ever-supportive principal Williams. Also turning in a good performance is singer Gloria Estefan as the mother of one of the students. And for the most part, the kids are adequate, especially since many of them are not actors but budding musicians. But Gray's script is almost impossible to stomach for the first hour and a half, until the triumphant final sequence, which is the first time Roberta is not portrayed as a pathetic heroine struggling through tears against all odds. Besides the obvious obstacles that surely confronted the real teacher (dangerous neighborhoods, the cynicism and lack of support from parents, etc.), Roberta must deal with boyfriends who can't commit, children who ask tearfully about why their father left, substandard home-improvement contractors ripping her off, and a caricature-style school music director who seems to want nothing more than to see her fail. I'm not saying these things couldn't or didn't happen in real life, but putting them in the script, and portraying them with such transparently manipulative dialogue, is counterproductive to the film's important message. True stories have to be dealt with differently than straight fiction: they have to appear like real life. Too bad Gray hasn't learned that yet. ***