Craven Goes Craven

Walking into the screening for Miramax's new release Music of the Heart, I actually contemplated selling the pass and booking it towards the Tower Records to buy the soundtrack instead. (I hear it's pretty good--'NSync has a song on it.) Seriously though, I really wasn't in the mood for tear-jerking scenes and cheesy life lessons. Don't I get enough of that from my parents' weekly phone calls?

What a pleasant surprise! I found the film's message to be honest, not cheesy. Each scene was worthy of the emotions it inspired.

Meryl Streep, Angela Bassett, and Gloria Estefan (yup, the singer) star in Wes Craven's newest film, based on the documentary Small Wonders--the account of Roberta Guaspari, a single mother who moves to East Harlem to teach the violin to underprivileged children. Even though the film moves a bit slowly at the beginning where Roberta's personal life is the dominant plot-line, Meryl Streep is (as always) refreshing in her portrayal of Guaspari and compensates for the slow start. Streep's characterization of the man-dependent and recently divorced Navy wife is humorous and real. She is a pathetic mess, crazed by the loss of the only role she's ever known--that of her husband's server. But the quality doesn't stop there. Add about a hundred witty second-graders and an inspiring real-life account of these underprivileged kids, and you have yourself a worthwhile story. I was charmed by the triumphs of Guaspari's inner-city hopefuls as they progressively transform into concert violinists, despite social challenges and bureaucratic obstacles. Streep and her young, wise-cracking sidekicks make a genuinely funny combination.

The great acting is rounded out by Angela Bassett who plays Janet Reeves, the stubborn high school principal. Bassett is loud and emotional in her portrayal--the determination of her character shines right through. Moreover, Bassett and Streep complement each other well during many pivotal moments in the movie. When Guaspari's funding for the music program is cut and Reeves is unable to save it despite exhausting her efforts, the angry exchange between Streep and Bassett conveys the helplessness and frustration that many educators surely feel toward the politics of the education system. I was sold.

Aside from the acting, one of the most impressive aspects of the film is the technical feat achieved in its production. Each actor in the film plays their own instrument. Streep had never played any musical instrument before, but after two months of lessons, she jumped into classroom scenes that required her to simultaneously play and instruct students. More than half of the 150 children who appeared in the film have studied with the real Roberta Guaspari. Most have never acted. If Craven was aiming for reality, then he surely did his job.

By the climactic "Fiddlefest" scene where Guaspari's students give a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall in aims of saving their program, I was overwhelmed with the energy and excitement I felt alongside the characters. I was so involved with the characters, that by the end of the concert, I wanted to stand up and cheer. I didn't. But I wanted to (and the last thing that made me stand up and cheer, remember, were the Backstreet Boys).

In line with similar films like Stand and Deliver and Lean on Me, Music of the Heart is a well-delivered package. Although a bit long, the film is still engaging and humorous. If you're looking for a reason to smile for two hours, I recommend that you take a friend and lift those spirits.