Music of the Heart

1999 Drama

After devoting his career to such horror films as Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Last House on the Left, director Wes Craven makes a dramatic change of pace with this inspiring drama about a teacher who helps change the lives of her students. Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras (Meryl Streep) teaches at an elementary school in Harlem, where discipline is a higher priority than the lively arts. But Roberta believes that studying music will give the children a sense of purpose invaluable in later life. Despite indifference from the school administration and budget cuts that force her to seek outside funding (and even threaten her job), Roberta struggles to teach the violin to her students, instilling a love of classical music in kids who might otherwise never have heard Bach or Mozart, and leading to a student recital at Carnegie Hall. Angela Bassett, Cloris Leachman, and Aidan Quinn highlight the supporting cast, and virtuoso violinists Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, and Mark O'Connor appear as themselves. The Music of the Heart is based on a true story; the real Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras and her students can be seen in the documentary Small Wonders. more..

Director: Wes Craven

Starring: Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn, Angela Bassett, Gloria Estefan, Jane Leeves

Reviews

  • Wonderful spirit, humanity and humor.

    Michael Wilmington - The Chicago Tribune

    26 April 2013

  • This one basically just sticks to the real story, which has all the emotional wallop that's needed.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • Yearning for an old-fashioned movie with a well-told, uplifting message? Music of the Heart is playing your song.

    Susan Wloszczyna - USA Today

    26 April 2013

  • Avoids the potentially suffocating pall of uplift hovering over its quite exhilarating story.

    Jay Carr - The Boston Globe

    26 April 2013

  • If "Mr. Holland's Opus" made you puke, you'd better bring a bucket to this true-life weepie about the importance of teaching music in schools.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film

    ALMA Awards (2000)

     
  • Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures

    ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards (2001)

  • Best Actress in a Leading Role

    Academy Awards (2000)

     
  • Theatrical - Best Supporting Actress

    Black Reel Awards (2000)

     
  • Favorite Song from a Movie (Internet Only)

    Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2000)