Hey folks, Harry here. It is no secret that I love Horror movies. But one of my favorite bits about Horror Directors is this. They are just as talented as the NON-HORROR DIRECTORS and can play in the other genres with equal skill. However, often times a director can end up pigeon-holed... This is why when Sam Raimi succeeded brilliantly with last years A SIMPLE PLAN, I was buzzing along as happy as could be. Now... so far I've heard both good and mixed word on Wes Craven's foray into drama, but I have my fingers crossed. Here's Ben's look.
I had the chance to check out a test screening of Music of the Heart, a Miramax release and the new film from Wes Craven, Wednesday night at The Block in Orange, CA. Having directed horror films for 25 years, I was curious to see what Craven would bring to an inspirational drama that the cards tried comparing to Stand and Deliver and Dangerous Minds.
The movie stars Meryl Streep, playing schoolteacher Roberta Tzavaras, a newly divorced woman looking for work to support her two sons. She bumps into an adoring former schoolmate (Aidan Quinn), a journalist who recommends her for a teaching job at an East Harlem elementary school. Despite having no experience, she wins over the school principal, played by Angela Basset, and goes about struggling to put a program together. Once it proves a success, the film jumps ahead ten years, for Streep's character to both save her program from being terminated by the school board and put her personal life in order.
The movie is a strong drama with a little bit of everything, laughs and a touch of romance, with great classical music. It has more in common with Mr. Holland's Opus than any recent "save the school" movie. What's surprising is how intelligent and well-made the film is, surprising since Craven has about much experience directing drama as Streep's character has in the inner city. It's a great Miramax film in that it feels non-Hollywood. There are no cliched hood kids in droopy pants, no hip-hop on the soundtrack, no unearned or predictable dramatic moments. The movie isn't condescending the way Dangerous Minds was in suggesting it takes a great White woman to save the ghetto from itself. This is an adult film that manages to be inspiring and impart a subtle message about what's right and wrong with our schools.
The first twenty minutes of the film dragged a bit and there was some question as to how well Aidan Quinn worked as an early love interest to Streep (he's great but doesn't feel altogether right in the role). A lot has been written about this being Gloria Estefan's acting debut, but her's is a very simple extended cameo as one of Streep's fellow schoolteachers and she does well.
This is one of the best films I've seen this year, a movie with no violence, no sex and little to no profanity, exactly the type of film conservatives have been screaming about not getting. Hopefully it won't get smothered in the fall Oscar lineup, it definitely deserves as big if not bigger audience than Mr. Holland's Opus got in 1996. If Miramax puts enough support behind it, they could have in Wes Craven a whole new industry, as he really does great work here.
Ben
