Holiday 99:Music of The
Heart - Is this theme getting silly? |
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By Shelby J. Jones
Meryl Streep in yet another film about a white
person moving into the hood to save hopeless students of the ghetto. I
thought, "here we go again." We've watched Michelle Pfeiffer, Treat Williams,
Tom Berenger, Jon Lovitz and even Jim Belushi swoop into the hood and
save the day. Pretty soon Pauly Shore may even have a chance. Personally,
I started to become offended by the genre as I know many Black and Latino
teachers and administrators that are involved in saving these children
daily. Couldn't a studio find a story where we are saving our own? So
needless to say, I was reserved and somewhat pissed about Music of
The Heart. But guess what, Hollywood finally got it right. Much like
Morgan Freeman's stint as roughhouse principal Joe Clark, Music of
The Heart is a true story based on the life of Roberta Guaspari. The
film was surprisingly well done and uplifting and it was not filled with
too many cliches. Of course there were the disruptive students but most
of their stories prior to the principal character's arrival wasn't over-exaggerated.
SYNOPSIS
THESPIANS
Meryl Streep is a prime example of why classically
trained actors are so good at what they do. No matter what role she
plays, she always develops the small intricacies about her character
thereby making her performances memorable. Her performance may garner
awards. Angela Bassett (Janet Williams) handles her role with raw power.
She ain't no Stella in this flick. She plays a hard-nosed, yet caring
principal in a tough school. Her portrayal will not go unrecognized
as well. Gloria Estefan makes her acting debut as Isabel Vasquez and
she manages not to stumble with the talents of Streep and Bassett.
CRITIQUE
The film industry is densely populated with worn-out
genres, silly clichés and many stories that are simply bad. I
thought Music of The Heart would be another widget on the assembly
line of bad taste. But leave it to Wes Craven to throw a curve ball
in the bottom of the ninth (I'm a Yankee fan - had to use that line)
to save the day. He did it with Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream
which both can be credited with saving horror pictures. With Music
of The Heart he saves Jesse Jackson's favorite anthem - "Keep Hope
Alive." Music of The Heart is an inspirational film because it
is a story of will, faith and hoping for better. Roberta wanted more,
the children wanted more and together they deliver a wonderful presentation
by utilizing the violin to plant a little music in your heart. Don't
be surprised if you walk out of the theater with ideas about teaching
someone…something. What's that popular statement - "each one teach one."
Music of The Heart is that type of flick. Check it out!
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