Review of Music Within (2007) by Navin B — 16 Jul 2009

2: Engaging, but not engrossing film. The story is inspirational and interesting, but not unduly so for me. My emotional involvement and connection to the story was fairly minimal. In other words, the film was a disappointment for me.

The narrative drive was pretty brisk at the beginning and then eventually began to lag a bit. The emotional resonance one should have had with the story and the obstacles the characters strived to overcome seemed very muted.

I didn't care enough about his program or the Disability Act to make me love the picture. The waitress was certainly disgusting, but it still somehow lacked punch. The way in which the deafness was handled lacked imagination and effect as well.

One didn't really feel the effects of Livingston's characters deafness too profoundly. The narrative and character arcs were definitely interesting though. Michael Sheen gives another excellent, and quite different from what we're used to, performance.

Ron Livingston was good, but didn't seem he was quite the right fit for the story or didn't invest himself fully in it. He works completely in band of Brothers or Office Space, but there's something missing here.

Melissa George was perfectly adequate in her role, but nothing terribly stunning or memorable. Still, certainly a picture worth seeing.