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Music Within

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Music Within (2007)

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Reviews Counted:39

Fresh:12

Rotten:27

Average Rating:5.2/10

Consensus: Music Within is a well-intentioned but pedestrian production of a story that deserves better treatment.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language including sexual references, and some drug content.

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Oct 26, 2007 Limited

Box Office: $129,086

Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]

Starring: Ron Livingston, Melissa George, Michael Sheen, Yul Vazquez

Starring: Ron Livingston, Melissa George, Michael Sheen, Yul Vazquez, Rebecca De Mornay, Hector Elizondo

Director: Steven Sawalich

Director: Steven Sawalich
Screenwriter: Mark Andrew Olsen, Bret McKinney, Kelly Kennemer
Producer: Brett Donowho, Steven Sawalich
Composer: James T. Sale
Studio: MGM

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Release:

Apr 8, 2008

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Reviews for Music Within

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Low on drama, but funny, with interesting characters, good performances and is uplifting without being too sweet.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
11/30/07
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

It's just too bad that the pious treatment given the deserving Pimentel never translated into a more engaging film.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/29/07
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

With period songs galore to tell you exactly what's going on inside protagonist Richard Pimentel (Ron Livingston), you hardly need plot or dialogue.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
11/14/07
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

The real world needs more dogged folks willing to tilt at windmills. But movies often don't do their stories justice, and that has happened again here.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
11/09/07
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pimentel's persistence and eventual triumph over prejudice and discrimination is a story worth telling, if only on a shoestring.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment 1 Comment
11/09/07
Susan Walker
Susan Walker
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It gives me no pleasure to report that the [Richard] Pimentel biopic Music Within plays like a well-intentioned TV movie.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
11/09/07
M.E. Russell
M.E. Russell
Oregonian

Salawich's film is entertaining and leaves you with warm feelings from learning about this man who turned adversity into good for so many others.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
11/09/07
Marta Barber
Marta Barber
Miami Herald

If you're looking for one-dimensional, uplifting pap, Music Within fits the bill. It's watchable. Pimentel is obviously a really interesting guy, and it's a shame his tale wasn't told with a bit more flair.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
11/09/07
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

...an agreeable though entirely uneven piece of work...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
11/09/07
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

When the subject is not well-known, and the film about his life is unremarkable, the whole thing starts to feel like an exercise in futility.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
11/08/07
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Both Pimental and the audience would have been better served if his life were told as a PBS documentary.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
11/07/07
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

This offbeat biopic is driven by Ron Livingston's engaging performance as Richard Pimentel, a gifted public speaker who lost his hearing in the Vietnam war and then spearheaded the disability rights movement in the U.S.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
11/02/07
Andrea Gronvall
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The low-budget Music Within may not entirely work on the outside, but at its core beats a very funny, very smart and very moving heart of gold.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment 1 Comment
11/02/07
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
Christianity Today

This is a nice little well-meaning idea for a movie, but even with three writers on the payroll, it never really catches fire.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment 1 Comment
10/31/07
Rex Reed
Rex Reed
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I wanted to like this film

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment 1 Comment
10/29/07
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is a heroic tale in many respects, but it's handled here with the heavy hand of television-quality hagiography.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
10/27/07
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

It hits some of the right notes, but at the wrong time and the overall effect is a song out of tune.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment 1 Comment
10/27/07
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

Second-time director Steven Sawalich's "music" presumably still resides inside him because it doesn't resound in his Music Within message movie.

Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com | comment 2 Comments
10/26/07
Adam Fendelman
Adam Fendelman
HollywoodChicago.com

Leaves no cliche unturned and has no point of view.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment 1 Comment
10/26/07
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

All inspiring stuff, but Music Within is strictly by the numbers, even down to the predictable mood-setting period soundtrack numbers

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment 1 Comment
10/26/07
G. Allen Johnson
G. Allen Johnson
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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