Music of the Heart

viewed October 23, 1999 at UA Metro Center Colma

For full information about this film, click here

I thank my mother for having me fill out the voter survey she found in the local Chinese newspaper.  I received a movie pass for sounding off on various political issues, which the Chinese American Voters Association presumably will study to give voice and improve life for my people.  And being a good Chinese, I maximized that one ticket to watch two movies for the price of none, including one exclusive sneak preview.  How I did it was simple: I bought a ticket for the 7:45 Three Kings, then noticed the sneak preview for Music of the Heart at 8, snuck into that, and then shuffled over to the 10:30 Three Kings.  The cashier even neglected the $1 service charge that was printed in boldface on the pass. Being this cheap shouldn't be so easy -- it almost takes the fun away. 

I was excited all the same, for I had never been to a sneak preview before -- I'd always been intimidated by the thought of long lines, the possibility of not getting in, and the uncertainty of what one would be seeing.  My first sneak preview disproved each fear -- it wasn't even sold out, and the anticipation among the people who were there gave me a unique rush that made the experience of watching Music of the Heart much more pleasurable than it might otherwise have been.  

I was also attentive to the audience, wondering what had compelled them to come to this screening -- a young couple behind me who couldn't talk enough about their jobs.  Many couples in the audience, as well as family groups, so that the few solo filmgoers like myself really stood out.  A handsome young lady a couple of rows over, writing into her notebook.  A lady a few rows down, armed with a giant tub of popcorn, who made the entire row bend back when she plopped her huge self down.  A woman to my right who had apparently seen every Aidan Quinn movie ever made, and made her knowledge of him readily available to a patiently hapless couple beside her.

For much of the movie I had this odd feeling of being more attentive than usual to the film's qualities, more quick to note its faults, and yet more willing to let them go and just enjoy the thrill of sneaking into my first sneak preview.  It was a standard inspirational teacher story, with little more to add to the conventions than a tough-as-nails performance by Meryl Streep and a winning, genuinely sunny attitude by everyone involved, including, of all people, director Wes Craven.  The opening scenes set the story up in broad expositional strokes, as opposed to the last act, where it really settles into a groove, as Streep's character fights doggedly to save her school's violin program, enlisting the aid of some very well known musicians.  Their appearance in the film is magical, and only in retrospect does one realize that celebrity cameos in these sorts of biopics are nothing new, but more often than not they do get you in your soft spot.

There was a pleasant shower of applause from the audience -- for some reason very few people left as the credits rolled.  I had to take my chances and be among the first out, leaving myself highly visible as I snuck over to the next feature.

Read Roger Ebert's take on this crowd-pleaser

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