Don't listen to the negative reviews

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

In honour of the passing of Wes Craven, I wanted to seek out a film of his. Of course, as the go-to-guy for horror movies, my least favourite genre, I had to scan through his filmography to find the bizarrely out-of-character film Music of the Heart. As the only non-horror film on the list, it won the honour fairly easily.It surprises me to no end that a horror film maestro could create what is probably one of the best feel-good movies I have ever seen. I can pick a passion project when I see it, and I am positive that Craven was passionate about this story and to telling it right. When I was growing up, music lessons were everything to me. You could escape into a whole other world when you practised, and the instrument became a friend when none other might be. This film captured that more than any other I've seen. For a character who looks and sounds like Meryl Streep, it is amazing how much Meryl Streep vanishes into Roberta. She captures with full conviction the passion she has for her music, whilst also layering her character with personality quirks that inform us why her marriage has broken down. Streep layers that with bursts of anger, sadness and even humour that never feel out of place because they feel like Roberta's real emotions. She could have walked into my high school's music department and wouldn't have felt even a little bit out of place. This is probably my favourite ever Meryl Streep performance. From an unknown supporting cast, Angela Basset is stunningly effective as Janet, a Harlem principal holding a school together with her bare hands.The film essentially splits into two halves, with a ten year break in between. The first is Roberta's struggle to deal with the breakdown of her marriage and her desire to make the program work not to help the kids, but to make ends meet. But as the first act goes on, interactions with the kids show her how much the program means to them - even the troublemakers who give her flack but show up week after week in spite of everything. In the second half, ten years later than the first, Roberta's program is in jeopardy and she must fight to maintain it, because she has seen now how much good it can do. The relationship between Roberta and the kids - especially Jade Yorker's DeSean and Victoria Gomez's Lucy - is beautiful and believable, even as she occasionally hits stumbling blocks associated with kids in Harlem - incidental murders, domestic violence and hostility from black parents. Screenwriter Pamela Gray does a terrific job avoiding the trappings of White Saviour but focusing more on how music helps children, regardless of who their teacher is. Sometimes I felt that there were a few unnecessary subplots, such as Roberta's love life - both of her love interests fizzle out without much impact on the story. Other times, serious moments are swept over quickly, like when a father and daughter turn up to the concert announcing "they took the car and violin", which is quickly ignored. But I watched this film with a smile on my face the whole way through - just as the proud parents beamed at their underprivileged children performing beautiful music on stage. I would never have though to find such a feel-good movie in the filmography of a great horror director, but it just goes to show that just like music in the hearts of Harlem, you should never judge a book by its cover.

Music of the Heart (1999): Dir: Wes Craven / Cast: Meryl Streep, Aiden Quinn, Gloria Estifan, Angela Bassett, Cloris Leachman: Drama that regards the glorious things that can happen when unity plays centre factor. Meryl Streep plays a violin teacher who has just gone through a divorce and receives an offer to teach at an inner city school. She moves out of her mother's house and into a house owned by an old school friend. Recycled and predictable with too many developments that are either unnecessary or left unsolved. It is great to see a filmmaker branch out from his usual fare, but only when it works. Wes Craven lacks the slick appeal of his horror films but nonetheless it is a tremendous turn for him. His talent is much better highlighted in A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream. Streep is a strong presence but this role has been recycled so many times that all she can do is remind viewers that she is above this trash. Her romance with Aiden Quinn is poorly handled especially since he serves little other purpose to the story. Gloria Estifan has a great singing voice but a lousy part in this film, and Angela Bassett is also featured in another of the many flat roles. Theme hindered by useless formula elements. For a superior film check out Mr. Holland's Opus. It is broader and much more interesting but more importantly it carries better music to the heart. Score: 1 / 10

Music of the Heart (1999)*** 1/2 (out of 4) Incredibly entertaining and heart-warming story of Roberta Guaspari (Meryl Streep), a woman who finds herself raising her two sons alone when her husband leaves her for another woman. Although Roberta sees her life falling apart, with a little help she manages to get a job in an inner city school teaching violin. Soon this small class begins to help the people in the community as well as Roberta being able to see the power of music.MUSIC OF THE HEART was pretty much overlooked by fans of Wes Craven when it was released and, to be honest, the fans haven't bothered with it to this day, which is really too bad. I'm ashamed to admit that it took me this long to actually watch the movie because it's certainly one of the best films that Craven ever did and it's obvious just by watching it that the material was very close to his heart. Craven at one time was a teacher so it's clear that he had a passion for this material and it easily comes through his very sentimental direction.Of course, it's certainly doesn't hurt when you've got someone like Meryl Streep delivering one of her grand performances that only she can. It's really amazing watching this actress because she makes it seem so easy yet when you really look at this character it's easy to see the challenged. This character really is all over the place throughout the movie in regards to the emotions that she displays yet Street touches on all of them. It's really amazing to see how much passion she brings to the role and you can't help but see a real violin teacher. The supporting cast features fine performances by all of the children as well as the likes of Angela Bassett, Aidan Quinn and Cloris Leachman.The violin music itself is also extremely good and the technical side of the film is all very good. Craven certainly manages to keep the film moving at a very good pace and there's no question that there's a lot of heart in the picture and this comes through whenever a dramatic moment comes up. I'm certainly not going to spoil some of the twists that happen but they're all handled in a very tender way proving that the director was certainly able to deliver more than just horror. MUSIC OF THE HEART features a terrific performance from Streep and fine direction by Craven and it deserves to be seen.

There is a lot of dramatic credibility attached to this film, which isn't warranted. Yes, Meryl Streep is the lead and she received an Oscar nomination for the role, but this film is less dramatic than much more soapy. This film falls into the sub-genre of "white woman saves inner city children" which also includes "Freedom Writers" and "Dangerous Minds," and overdone and quite manipulative genre that needs to be done away with. You will either find this true story enlightening and sweet hearted or overly dramatic, based on taste or being able to stomach racially motivated story lines. Though, in general, I find these kinds of films tedious and over the top, the last half hour did make me well up. Real life music teacher Roberta Guaspari is inspirational, and her story is at least treated with respect. It is also interesting to note this is the only film Wes Craven has directed that has nothing to do with horror or sci-fi, and for those unaware of his finesse, this is a great showcase of his talents. This is an entertaining film, if a little overdone in its execution.