Those who can’t do, teach is a stupid horrifying phrase that diminishes the work of teachers and educators everywhere. It takes far more patience, talent and humanity to connect with young students, some of whom often have no desire to be engaging in the subjects or interpersonal relationships those teachers present. And yet we still see their work as invaluable, even after they’ve touched our lives.
Music of the Heart is not an uncommon movie. A teacher enters a world well beyond their knowledge or experience and changes lives beyond anything they ever thought possible. The whole idea of this movie genre is so inspiring on the surface and so cliché and overdone when you really dive into it, which is a shame because it does capture the power of teachers more often than not.
Meryl Streep’s journey as real-life music teacher Roberta Guaspari is easily the highlight of Music of the Heart. Her work is stern but loving, passionate but delicate, all in all it makes the movie appear better than its story actually is. The problem is that this, like other inspirational teacher movies around it (Mr. Holland’s Opus, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Matilda, Dangerous Minds) is that it focuses on feeling over story. It takes the small moments and those moments craft good feelings but by the time the movie is over you feel good, but don’t remember much else beyond that.
What makes these movies succeed is often the power of the performance in the teachers and students and making those connections that really excel as they grow together and the cycle of repetition that comes as they students change into better versions of themselves and grow. But this relationship isn’t shown in Music of the Heart. The story is less about the students and more about the teacher and her own personal journey, which cuts the inspiration down because it seems more interested in showing her than the work and legacy she crafted.
But make no mistake, this movie is a good performance. It just doesn’t have the story behind it to full succeed. A great performance can save a bad story, but likewise a bad story can undercut a great performance. This manages to be the former a few times, but more often the latter.
So let’s breakdown this performance.
My criteria for judging each performance is as follows:
Intentions and Choices – What was Meryl doing as a performer and did it come across in a way that was interesting and compelling?
Physicality and Vocal Choices – Was there a select set of choices for Meryl’s posture, gestures, rhythms, accents, and all other physical aspects, and did they help add to the character or distract from it?
Character Backstory – Were there choices Meryl made that showed us secrets beyond the script or screen? Did those choices add to her work or were they something that took us out of the present story.
Stand Out Moments – What scenes from the movie worked the best, or worst, and how did those reflect on Meryl’s performance?
Overall Movie Quality – How is the movie outside of Meryl’s performance? Is it a brilliant work because of her, in spite of her, or is her performance the only thing that makes the movie redeemable?
So let’s break down Roberta Guaspari in Music of the Heart:
Intentions and Choices – I really like a lot of moments in this movie. Streep really finds nuance in moments which could be sappy or bland. She’s carrying this movie and it really succeeds because of her work above all else. (8/10)
Physicality and Vocal Choices – These are nothing special, but the rhythm of her speech is different and it shows as she performs the role. But these don’t take on dramatic changes as the years go by and it feels static in places. (6/10)
Character Backstory – I think her divorce and relationship with her children is a good element of backstory, but it doesn’t go beyond that. (5/10)
Stand Out Moments – There is a hilarious scene where she struggles to “be nicer” and it is full of beautiful tension that walks the line between comedic and honest the whole time. (7/10)
Overall Movie Quality – I think the movie struggles. Streep and a few of the other actors give strong performances, but overall it feels like the movie just meanders without a real purpose or message by the end. (5/10)
Total Score: 31/50
Current Ranking:
Kramer vs. Kramer
The Deer Hunter
Postcards From the Edge
Sophie’s Choice
One True Thing
Silkwood
The Bridges of Madison County
Ironweed
Music of the Heart
The French Lieutenant’s Woman
A Cry in the Dark
Out of Africa
And with that we have survived the 90s. Here comes 21st Century Meryl to give some powerhouse performances and show even more stretching to her skills. I’ve seen the next few movies and so I’m gonna have to put my old biases aside as these new watches redefine what I already thought.
And until then, thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated.
Ploominate 