Ron Livingston delivers the performance of a lifetime in this acclaimed film based on the incredible true-life story of Richard Pimentel. Deafened by a bomb blast in Vietnam, Richard (Livingston) returns home and discovers his life's calling: helping others with disabilities, including his fellow veterans. Along with his bestfriend Art (Michael Sheen), a wheelchair-bound rebel with a wicked wit, Richard fights for the rights of those whose voices can't always be heard. Music Within is a powerful and inspiring journey that every American should take.
A movie about a man who fought for the civil rights of the disabled may sound unbearable and self-important, but Music Within will surprise you with its rough, irreverent, and very entertaining wit. Even the title is caustic joke: Richard Pimentel (Ron Livingston, Office Space) comes back from the Vietnam War with a severe ringing in his ears that leaves him virtually deaf. Pimentel finds a new path in life when he starts a career finding jobs for his fellow vets--and forms a deep friendship with Art Honeyman (Michael Sheen, The Queen), a brilliant man whose body is twisted by cerebral palsy. Pimentel never loses his sardonic sense of humor, but he does find a genuine purpose in life when the U.S. government hires him to create a program to help employers hire the disabled--but his cause leads him away from his increasingly frustrated girlfriend (Melissa George, 30 Days of Night). Music Within proves to be a to be a garrulous, enjoyable warts-and-all biography, one that admires Pimentel's accomplishments but never loses sight of his human failings. No one gets turned into the representative of a suffering group; every character is well-drawn individual. Sharp supporting turns by Hector Elizondo (Pretty Woman), Yul Vazquez (American Gangster), and especially Rebecca De Mornay (Risky Business), as Pimentel's schizophrenic mother, give Music Within added punch. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
See People Not The Differences:
What an amazing, enjoyable movie. It's a small film, with a wonderful message - don't see the handicap, just see people. This movie reminded me of a comment I heard on Canadian radio, there is this whole myth that we were somehow much more polite and had manners in the 60's, 50's and earlier. But those wonderfully mannered polite people mistreated people who were different, race, gender, ability, and age. Those polite people enacted an "ugly law." There's nothing polite or proper about all that. Today... more info
The Movie is Never as Good as the Man!:
I've had the privilege of meeting Mr. Pimentel and hearing him tell his own story with great humor, energy, self-deprecation and panache. They say that people are put into each others lives for a purpose. Thus, Art and Richard were the spark that ignited the original Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, offering accommodations in public buildings and the workplace to those for whom opportunity had previously been abysmally absent.
Over time, the Supreme Court and appointed EEOC regulators,... more info
Well meaning, but ...:
You can admire the source material and respect a tough battle won without actually appreciating the end result (ie, the film). There is just too little material and stretched to the limit. The sensation of been there, seen that is just too strong.
A Must View for the Disabled!:
Wonderful movie about the ADA and how it was started. My only regret is that it was not in descriptive video for more enjoyment by blind individuals. I was delighted that the movie took place in my home city of Portland, OR. Even after all of the hard work in putting together the ADA, the disabled community are still very much discrimintated against in employment, accessible accomodations, and equal availability to services.
