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Meryl Streep carries this film almost by herself, but as the story unfolds, the viewer completely forgets that it's Meryl and becomes immersed in Roberta Guaspari, the real-life character Streep is portraying. She is accompanied by Angela Basset, Aidan Quinn, Cloris Leachman, Gloria Estefan, Kieran Culkin, and a bevy of the finest violinists known to mankind! Trivia: Meryl Streep studied the violin for 3 to 4 hours each day to be able to actually play it in this film. Now, THAT'S a dedicated actress! A tip of the hat is also due to director Wes Craven, who stepped outside his usual "slasher and horror" genre with "Music of the Heart." In this viewer's opinion, THIS is Craven's best work!

Why this film is still mono, especially on home video is inexplicable, considering that Capitol Records issued the complete soundtrack in stereo in a 4-LP box set! C'mon CBS/Paramount! You spent a ton of dough restoring "War of the Worlds," so spend a few bucks and restore this with a 5.1 DTS mix or a 7.1 Atmos track!

...it's not totally bad and it had a certain naughtiness to it before the "me too" movement. It seems that Christopher Atkins' body is the focus of criticism about this flick, but nobody seems to comment on Lesley Anne Warren's performance, which is credible, considering the weak screenplay provided by Joan Tewkesbury. The film could have been better if Rick wasn't the only one of Faye's students moonlighting as a stripper, particularly if another student was PASSING in her class! Still, "A Night in Heaven" isn't as bad a film as other attempt to make it appear. It's on a par with Carl Reiner's 1987 film "Summer School," starring Mark Harmon.