Music Within

THE MUSIC WITHIN (2007) **1/2 Ron Livingston, Melissa George, Michael Sheen, Yul Vazquez, Rebecca De Mornay, Hector Elizondo, Leslie Nielsen. Livingston gives one of his best performances to date in this biography of Richard Pimentel, whose deafness resulted in Vietnam lead him to speak out on behalf of those discriminated for their handicaps and led to the Americans With Disabilities Act. While the film feels like a Hallmark TV Movie the acting is sublimely uniform – Sheen is memorable as Pimentel's cerebral palsy afflicted best friend – and the direction by newcomer Steven Sawalich keeps the story straight forward without being mawkishly maudlin.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against qualified people with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodation, communications, and governmental activities. This act was passed in 1990.

Ron Livingston is Richard Pimentel, born in the late 1940s, and who always had superb oratory skills for his age. He is widely credited with being instrumental in having the ADA established. Richard had been in Viet Nam and there had his hearing destroyed by a close-range blast. Trying to "find his own voice" in life, his own "music within", he eventually realized that it was to help the masses of disabled veterans and then all persons with disabilities.

Rebecca De Mornay is good as Richard's Mom, who suffered from numerous miscarriages and ended up in an institution. Hector Elizondo is good as Dr. Padrow, the professor that told Richard as a young man, go out and find out what you really believe in. Australian Melissa George is good as Richard's girlfriend Christine who found it difficult to get attention away from Richard's causes.

Good movie, well-paced, of a person who has been instrumental in a key chapter of US history, providing equal opportunities for the disabled.

Update Aug 2021: I watched it again on DVD almost 13 years after my first viewing and it was totally fresh. All the good things many reviewers say about the movie are accurate.

I went to the LA screening of this movie last night. The director, producer, Ron Livingston, Clint Howard and a few of the crew were there for it. I went in knowing nothing about this movie and must say I loved it! It was a mix of both a great drama and hilarious comedy. It teaches you without being preachy and it seemed to fly by. When it ended I really wanted more, thats something unusual lately. Ron did a great job as well as the rest of the cast, especially Michael Sheen. I think we'll be hearing more about this flick at awards time. If not then thats a real shame. Anyways whenever this film comes out I suggest it for anyone who likes to feel good about life. I know I'll be going to see it again after it opens wide.

When you have been watching movies for over 30 years and you come across a gem like Music Within, it keeps you coming back for more. This true story (The subject of the film Richard Pimentel verified the historical accuracy at the Dallas Film Festival screening) is both heartfelt, informative and laced sensitively with humor and insightful one liners. I had the privilege of seeing this at the Dallas Film Festival, though it does not apparently open for general release until September. After the screening, the Director, producer and both Ron Livingstone and Yul Vazquez were accompanied by Richard Pimentel himself for Q and A, which allowed some helpful insights not only into the making of the movie, but also the impact the movie is hopefully going to have on understanding those with disabilities and their assimilation into the workplace. The story itself unfolds chronologically and retells Richard's quest to find the 'music within' through a series of events including his own injury in Vietnam that caused a sever hearing disability and started Richard on the road to his eventual calling to aid others in finding work despite their disabilities. Eventually this even to a significant impact on the enacting of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As for the film itself, the acting of Ron Livingstone and Michael Sheen is particularly notable and I would be surprised if Sheen is not seen as a candidate for best supporting actor at the Academy awards next year. The other notable success is the outstanding screenplay. McKinney,Kennemer and Olsen may not yet be household names, but based on this showing, we will be seeing a lot more of their work in the future. Highly recommended - don't miss it when it comes to a cinema near you!

Wow - I saw this movie at the Dallas Int Movie Festival. It was the Audience Award Winner. This movie had everything. It made me laugh and cry (tried to hide it since Im a grown man). The story was great and really dived in to exploring the main character. Ron Livingston was exceptional. I knew little about the disability act, so this movie really enlightened me to the hardships that disabled people have to go through. We met the director after the movie ... young guy who is going to have a bright career. You have got to see this movie. I see at least 5 movies a week and have not seen a more moving story in a long time. The roller-coaster of emotion was overwhelming. The scene at the end going back to the restaurant ws especially moving.