John's Movie Musings

How well do you like biopics? I tend to enjoy them, but only on the same level as a documentary. I get more out of the history than I do of the actual story. Usually that's because they tend to follow a formula. So much so that you can set your watch to the point where drugs enter the scene, or the character breaks up with the love interest. In any other movie that causes a two-hour bore-fest. But for me, the nuggets of history keep me engrossed.

Music Within tells the story of the guy that started the American with Disabilities Act. Maybe not the actual act, but he got the ball rolling so that it was an election issue in 1988. What I found so fascinating (and maybe a bit disturbing) is that I remember most of the late 80s, yet for some reason I thought the ADA was something that came out of the 60s. I must have been too busy jamming on my Casio keyboard to care.

The movie stars Ron Livingston. You know him as the guy from Office Space. That movie holds such a special place in my heart that any other movie starring someone from it automatically gets bonus points.

If you end up renting this (and you should at some point), be sure to watch the bonus features. There's a talk given by the guy the movie is based on where he describes his life. All the events are in the movie, but to hear him actually tell the story is fantastic. It adds a whole new element to his fascinating life.

This is also one of those movies designed with the soundtrack in mind. It's filled with classic tunes from the 60s and 70s. Had they released the soundtrack just as a classic rock compilation, it may have made more money than the movie.

I'd bet most of you have already made up your minds about renting this. It's an interesting story I knew nothing about, so I enjoyed it. If you need a good biopic to watch, this'll do nicely.

Grade: B