Aidan Quinn, Angela Bassett, Cloris Leachman

Why, you might ask, would Wes Craven direct a conventional biopic about Roberta Guaspari, a divorced mother of two who created an acclaimed music program in East Harlem's troubled school system? After...( read more  read more... ) all, Craven built his career on Freddy Krueger and the Scream trilogy, and you won't find razor-tipped gloves or a single drop of blood in Music of the Heart. All Craven has to do is provide a safe working environment for Meryl Streep (who earned an obligatory Oscar nomination), sublimate his deft directorial style, and surrender to the banalities of Pamela Gray's screenplay, which would've played more effectively on cable TV.

To be fair, Music of the Heart (partially inspired by the 1996 documentary Small Wonders) serves its purpose quite nicely. Streep is flawless in a non-showy role, and the story of Guaspari's celebrated violin training program provides the requisite rush of inner-city inspiration. As a fact-based companion to Mr. Holland's Opus, the film is less effective but similarly engaging; you'd have to be cold-hearted to dismiss it altogether. It's best when focusing on Guaspari's school program and the 10-year struggle to keep it alive; the drama falters when dealing half-heartedly with her tentative relationships, notably with a journalist (Aidan Quinn) who shies from commitment. And Craven? He seems content to direct by the numbers here, leaving inspiration on the screen while forfeiting his own. --Jeff Shannon

Flixster Users

69% liked it

9,615 ratings

Critics

68% liked it

74 critics

PG, 123 min.

Directed by: Wes Craven

Release Date: October 29, 1999

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DVD Release Date: January 15, 2002

Stats: 511 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (511)


  • January 27, 2008
    This beautiful concert that you've just heard could be the very last concert for the East Harlem Violin Program. The board of education and the district attorney think that music isn't important. But they are wrong! And they're gonna get a *big* fight!
  • February 16, 2007
    Saw this on tv last night. was better then i thought it was gonna be. Loved How they showed Roberta's Determination to teach the children of east Harlem. Give them something to be proud of.
  • November 7, 2006
    Very well done. The music is beautiful.
  • July 9, 2006
    It is a really good movie. The Fiddlefest is really cool. Meryl Streep is great in it.
  • May 4, 2009
    The music teacher that changes lives has been done before but this was nice.
  • September 22, 2009
    One of the best true-to-life stories.
  • August 30, 2009
    Wes Craven directing a NON-horror/thriller movie? I'm only watching it for my curiousity.
  • August 25, 2009
    Can i say this movie is touching? well not really. i think they make it a bit over the top, without Meryl Streep convincing performance, i wouldn't mind to turn it off. The story is based on a real life person, it's very encouraging but not enough inspirational. The ending scene ...( read more)wasn't that much of a great scene, i don't know maybe i expect more from the music department.

    7/10.
  • June 3, 2009
    i love the songs! What I can say is not a bad story line
  • May 20, 2009
    great movie, very inspiring

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Most movies claiming to be based on fact pour on the melodrama, but this one basically just sticks to the real story, which has all the emotional wallop that's needed. full review

January 1, 2000
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Some people will warm to Music of the Heart, and for those people the idea of criticizing the film will be like kicking a puppy. full review

View more Music of the Heart reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Music of the Heart Trivia


  • Despite being a daughter of Hollywood royalty, the Saddest Music in the World makes her Wild at Heart among the Blue Velvet. Death Becomes Her especially as Jennifer Garner's aunt in Alias.  Answer »
  • Name the 1999 movie staring Meryl Streep,Angela Bassett,Aidan Quinn& Gloria Estefan with a cameo appearance by Itzhak Perlman,with the plot outline:Story of a schoolteacher's struggle to teach violin to inner-city Harlem kids?  Answer »
  • In what movie does a widower with 7 children have his heart softened by the children's governess?  Answer »
  • What musical insturment did Meyrl Streep play in Music Of The Heart  Answer »

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