Featured Audience Ratings

• Megan S

  
  I didn't even realize this was based on an Oliver Sacks case until after it was over and I thought it sounded familiar.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: J.K. Simmons, Lou Taylor Pucci, Julia Ormond, Cara Seymour, Mía Maestro, Tammy Blanchard, Scott Adsit, Max Antisell Director: Jim Kohlberg Summary: Nearly 20 years after Gabriel (Lou Taylor Pucci) ran away from home, his father, Henry Sawyer (J.K. Simmons), and mother,… More
  Cast: J.K. Simmons, Lou Taylor Pucci, Julia Ormond, Cara Seymour, Mía Maestro, Tammy Blanchard, Scott Adsit, Max Antisell Director: Jim Kohlberg Summary: Nearly 20 years after Gabriel (Lou Taylor Pucci) ran away from home, his father, Henry Sawyer (J.K. Simmons), and mother, Helen (Cara Seymour), discover that their no longer young child suffers from a brain tumor that blocks him from recording fresh memories. Desperate to connect with his son at the assisted-living facility Gabe inhabits, Henry realizes the best way to do so is through music -- specifically the classic rock tunes Gabe loves and he despises. My Thoughts: "A beautiful story and a fantastic film. Such great acting from Lou Taylor Pucci, J.K. Simmons, and Cara Seymour. The story was touching and made me shed a few or more tears. The music is amazing in this film and it is what truly brings this family back together. The story is sad, inspiring, touching, and will definitely pull at your heart strings. You can't help but care for these character's and be moved by their story. Brilliant film. Check this one out for the great story, acting, and music. A definite must see."

• Cynthia S

  
  Very touching movie based on a true story, apparently. Great acting. Great music. I teared up more than once...

• Walter M

  
  In "The Music Never Stopped," Henry(J.K. Simmons) and Helen Sawyer(Cara Seymour) receive a phone call that no parent wants to receive, that their son Gabriel(Lou Taylor Pucci) is seriously ill in the hospital, decades after they last heard from him. He has a benign tumor… More
  In "The Music Never Stopped," Henry(J.K. Simmons) and Helen Sawyer(Cara Seymour) receive a phone call that no parent wants to receive, that their son Gabriel(Lou Taylor Pucci) is seriously ill in the hospital, decades after they last heard from him. He has a benign tumor that has so greatly damaged his brain, that he is left with no short term memory or of anything else in the last twenty years. After Henry is made redundant at work, Helen goes to work for the first time at the same company for badly needed money for hospital fees. That frees up Henry's time to do research that leads him to Dianne Daley(Julia Ormond), a music therapist, who after a few initial struggles, makes a breakthrough with Gabriel. Based on a true story, "The Music Never Stopped" handles a difficult subject well with sensitivity. Aiding that is J.K. Simmons who underplays nicely in a rare leading role. In fact, the movie makes excellent use of music, especially "Truckin'" which is about the only Grateful Dead song I like. However, in attempting to make the 80's look as drab as possible, the movie drifts into the trap of depicting the 60's as cliched as possible, with the focus squarely on the generation gap.(The source material is an Oliver Sacks essay called "The Last Hippie.") And if Gabriel's memory is decades behind the times, then how come he does not freak out with everybody looking much older than they should?(Hat tip: the television show "Perception")

• Panta O

  
  Sundance Film Festival is one of the rare ones in the US with some credibility and I love watching movies shown there. This year I saw The Music Never Stopped (directed by Jim Kohlberg), but I waited with the review a little bit. This was Kohlberg's directorial debut from a… More
  Sundance Film Festival is one of the rare ones in the US with some credibility and I love watching movies shown there. This year I saw The Music Never Stopped (directed by Jim Kohlberg), but I waited with the review a little bit. This was Kohlberg's directorial debut from a script by Gwyn Lurie and Gary Marks and it started really well but somehow lost the rhythm after a while. If you are a fan of the music from the 60' or 70's this is a must for you... but you'll have to put up with the often static style of directing which follows a predictable trajectory. Based on Oliver Sacks' essay "The Last Hippie", this movie is trying to explore the father-son relationship between Henry Sawyer (J.K. Simmons) and his son, Gabriel (Lou Taylor Pucci), who suffers from a brain tumor that prevents him from forming new memories. Henry, with his son unable to shed light on their strained relationship, must connect with him through music, and the fine performance of J.K. Simmons helped us to understand that dad's taste in music (which used to be "their" music) didn't imprint on Gabe beyond his grade school and that a new "bridge" needed to be built! And the "bridge" was built by the Grateful Dead! Powerful start, good music but somehow the movie never finds its own "soul" and follows mediocre tempo.

• Jason R

  
  J.K. Simmons and Lou Taylor Pucci give wonderful performances! When his son Gabriel re-enters his life after being gone for 20-years. Henry Sawyer learns that his boy had gone through life with an undiagnosed brain tumor which resulted in severe brain damage and loss of memory.… More
  J.K. Simmons and Lou Taylor Pucci give wonderful performances! When his son Gabriel re-enters his life after being gone for 20-years. Henry Sawyer learns that his boy had gone through life with an undiagnosed brain tumor which resulted in severe brain damage and loss of memory. Through music. The Father and Son learn from the mistakes of the past, and rediscover there love for each other. Wonderfully acted and well-told story! The Music Never Stopped will leave a lasting impression on you. It is just one of those films that hits all the right emotional chords and makes for a very special and enjoyable cinematic treat.

Read all 6 featured audience ratings