Music Within (2007)
Director: Steven Sawalich
Starring : Ron Livingston, Melissa George, Michael Sheen, Yul Vazquez
Starring : Ron Livingston, Melissa George, Michael Sheen, Yul Vazquez
Plot: Based on a true story, MUSIC WITHIN depicts how one man helped change policies and attitudes toward people with disabilities. Richard Pimentel (Ron Livingston) grew up with an emotionally unstable mother (Rebecca De Mornay) and lost his father in a freak accident, so he turns to public speaking in school to find direction in life and seek the approval and praise he needs. After receiving insightful advice from a public speaking mentor (Hector Elizondo), Richard enlists in the army and serves in Vietnam. He returns with impaired hearing and finds it difficult to get a job. Through friendships with Art (Michael Sheen), who has cerebral palsy, and fellow Vietnam vets with various ailments, Richard finds his calling as an employment placement advocate for those with disabilities. Catching the attention of the state governor, his innovative work leads to a breakthrough opportunity: to write the training program for employers and government agencies to improve conditions, hire, and retain employees with disabilities. His efforts ultimately result in the creation of the congressionally approved Americans with Disabilities Act. MUSIC WITHIN impeccably fulfills its mission to inform as it entertains, as it seriously explores this sensitive subject but never loses its sense of humor when dealing with the issues. Livingston (OFFICE SPACE) is perfectly cast as Richard; his earnest Everyman style inspires, and his deadpan comic timing adds warmth to a story that showcases how cold people can be. Sheen (THE QUEEN) is a marvel as the brilliant and witty wheelchair-bound Art. Their chemistry is spellbinding and their characters' unique relationship is the heartbeat of this endearing film. (rottentomatoes.com)
Review: Music Within was a movie choice of Abby's, most likely because it contained the word "Music" in the title, but it turned out to be one of the more enjoyable movies that I have seen in a while. Both Abby and I are fans of movies that are based off of true stories. I think that we enjoy knowing that these cool stories that we are investing our time in actually happened, and then Abby enjoys shutting off the DVD player, picking up the computer, and looking up the characters and stories from the movies on Wikipedia and other Internet sites. Music Within was a wonderful story of friendship, triumph, and failure. This story was one of the few true stories that was successfully translated to be portrayed on the big screen and the writers, actors, and director did it wonderfully. I think that most of us are aware of the discrimination and hatred that faced African Americans during the civil rights movement and the uphill battle that women faced while they were fighting for equal rights, but it was relatively unknown to me the discrimination that people with physical or mental disabilities were facing in the late 70's and into the 80's. I really enjoyed seeing the story of a man that was advocating for those who were being treated as if they were not human beings.
Ron Livingston did a wonderful job depicting Richard Pimentel, a good hearted yet horribly conflicted character yet another character stole the show. Art Honeyman was played by Michael Sheen (Frost Nixon). Art was a man that a recently discharged Richard ran into while on campus at his college. Art suffers from Cerebral Palsy yet has a wonderful outlook on life and has this smart alec quick wit poise to him which added large amounts of humor to the film. I have to imagine that one of the most difficult roles in Hollywood to play would be a role where the character has either a physical or mental disability. In 1988 Dustin Hoffman made headlines when he won the Oscar for Best Actor in Rain Man. Since then many people have played roles in which they were depicting someone with a disability. The toughest part of this has to be doing it in an authentic yet tasteful manner. I was incredibly impressed with Michael Sheen as he portrayed Art Honeyman perfectly. I have gained a large amount of respect for him after seeing him in this role.
This story is full of ups and downs, laughs and tears, and held my attention the whole way through. There is a large amount of foul language warranting it an "R" rating, but I would recommend this movie to those of you who are old enough/mature enough for this type of movie. I rated it at 4 stars out of a possible 5 stars!
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