Music of the Heart (Meryl Streep)

(Amazon UK link)

We saw the 1999 film ‘Music of the Heart’ back in 2009, and watched it again only four years later. But it was definitely time to re-watch. I recalled finding it a moving and extremely well-done film, and that it was based on a true story. But, as ever, we had both forgotten most of the detail.  We watched it again last night, and enjoyed it just as much - possibly even more, as we had at least a general idea of how it would end.

Meryl Streep stars, brilliantly as ever, as a young woman called Roberta. We meet her when she’s in tears, beginning to realise that her straying husband is not going to return. She has two sons, Nick and Lexy, and they are staying with her mother (Cloris Leachman) temporarily. But that really isn’t working out. Roberta manages to find a job in a shop, and there she meets Brian (Aidan Quinn) an old school-friend, who says he always liked her but she was never attainable.

They have coffee together, and talk about what they have been doing. Brian remembers Roberta as an excellent musician, and comes up with the idea of her going to teach violin at a struggling primary school in Harlem. She has to push quite hard to be offered a temporary post, but although the music coordinator is not sympathetic, the school Head (Angela Bassett) is.

It’s a struggle at first, trying to find the right way to relate to a very mixed group of children, many of whom have no knowledge of music, and little interest in playing. Roberta comes up against the prejudice of not just the music coordinator but others of the staff, and some of the parents, too. But gradually she eases her way into the hearts of her students, and even convinces some of the parents of the value of music to their children. There’s a very moving scene when they give their first concert: just simple renditions of well-known pieces, but played beautifully.

The action then moves forwards ten years. Roberta’s programme has become so popular that there’s a lottery for children who hope to be part of it. And then the school district decides to cut out extra music, to save money. But she’s determined to fight this, and comes up with the idea of a fund-raising concert…

The ending is quite exciting; less stressful than it was for me the first time around, since I knew what was coming, but still I was gripped, caught up in the action, rooting for Roberta and her students, thrilled by the conclusion - and the brief text at the end that explains how the film was based on a true story.

Meryl Streep is the main reason we were so drawn into this film: she doesn’t just act, she becomes the characters she plays, to the extent that we quite forget about the actress during her films. Apparently she spent two months learning to play the violin to this level, working six hours per day, as she did all the playing herself.

But she’s not the only one: her sons, both as their younger selves and their older teenage selves, played by a different pair of actors, are believable, talented and with great chemistry. And the children Roberta teaches are also excellent. I don’t know where they came from - perhaps some of them were children taught by the real Roberta, or maybe they came from another music school. Wherever they were found, they were superb, not just at playing (initially badly, eventually extremely well) but also in their characterisation and interactions with each other and Roberta.

We thought it a wonderful film, all the more so for seeing it again, and I hope we’ll watch it again in another five or six years. The rating is PG, which seems about right; only mild bad language, only mild violence, and the only implied scene of intimacy shows nothing other than Roberta covered with a sheet in the morning, concerned that her boys might have heard something.

The romantic threads are very low-key, and there are some light-hearted touches here and there which made us smile. But overall it’s an uplifting, moving and ultimately encouraging film about the power of music in children’s lives, and one ordinary, but determined woman who inspired so many.

Very highly recommended.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Prince and Me (Julia Stiles)

(Amazon UK link)

We saw the 2004 film ‘The Prince and Me’ early in 2013 and had entirely forgotten what it was about. But the box said it was uplifting and ‘feel-good’, so it seemed like a good DVD to re-watch.

Julia Stiles is Paige, the main protagonist. She’s a hard working college student in the United States, hoping eventually to train as a doctor. She’s taking mostly science classes, and works in a bar to earn a bit of money. She’s more geeky than some of her friends, but likes to have fun too. She comes from a farm, with a loving and welcoming family.

Luke Mably is Eddy, who just happens to be the Crown Prince of Denmark. He’s a fast-driving womaniser who has little interest in politics or running his country, rather to the despair of his parents (Miranda Richardson and James Fox). He keeps trying different things, determined to ‘find himself’, but ends up in disgrace time and again.

Eddy happens to see a TV show about a university in the US where women routinely take their tops off - or so it seems. So he tells his parents he wants to study at this university. They agree unwillingly, and he says he will fund himself. Their only requirement is that Soren, his minder (Ben Miller) goes with him.

Eddy and Soren are rather unimpressed with student accommodation, particularly when they learn that they have to share a room with another student. Eddy wants to be incognito and insists that Soren stop addressing him as ‘your majesty’. But Soren keeps calling him ‘sir’, and cooks his breakfast in the room… although for some reason nobody seems to find this anything other than quirky.

When Eddy and Paige meet, it’s in a conflict scenario, as in traditional light romantic stories, and it takes a while for him to persuade her that he really does like her, and is not such a jerk as he appears. And their romance follows a fairly predictable path until they’re tracked down by the paparazzi….

The two main characters are okay, though I’m not sure I found either of them particularly believable. I didn’t quite understand why Eddy’s parents were so old - or at least late middle-aged, with his father in failing health - when he’s probably meant to be around thirty. My favourite character, however, was Soren. His expressions - mostly deadpan - and lines are excellent, with perfect timing. His role lifted the film out of the average, into something we enjoyed very much.

There’s a slightly strange interlude in the middle of the film where Eddy - whose main talent appears to be mechanical - adapts some lawnmowers to take part in a race. One of the extras on the DVD explains that lawnmower racing is a real thing in many countries.

There are one or two interesting issues explored in the film, relating to the duties of royalty, and how much personality a person can keep if they are going to become King or Queen. But since that’s not likely to apply to the vast majority of viewers, and the utter discipline and subjugation of the will isn’t necessary for most careers or roles, it’s more of passing interest than anything deep or thought-provoking. Still, the balance of career and romance is nicely done, and Paige is a strong character, a good role model for some of today’s teens.

Overall we thought it a nicely done light-weight film. It’s PG in rating so entirely clean, with a predictable but satisfying ending. Suitable for all the family, although I doubt if small children would find it very interesting. And while nothing explicit happens, there’s rather a lot of passionate kissing, which would not appeal to many young children or pre-teens.

Still, we enjoyed it, and will probably see it again in another six or seven years.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

Room with a View (Helena Bonham-Carter)

(Amazon UK link)

We first saw the Oscar-winning film ‘Room with a View’ at the cinema in the 1980s, and I liked it very much. However it was many years before we acquired it on DVD.  We watched it in 2007 and for some reason have not seen it again since then - until last night. We recalled the story, in general terms - it’s based on a book by EM Forster of the same name - but as ever, had forgotten many of the details.

The story is set in the Edwardian period, early in the 20th century. Lucy (a very young looking Helena Bonham Carter) is in a hotel in Florence when we first meet her. She’s accompanied by her rather strait-laced cousin Charlotte, whom we were delighted to realise was played by Maggie Smith. I had remembered that Judi Dench features, as a rather risqué writer (for the era), who was also staying there, but had quite forgotten about Maggie Smith in this rather important role.

Charlotte is bemoaning the fact that their rooms do not have a good view, although Lucy is trying to keep her quiet. They are overheard by Mr Emerson (Denholm Elliot), who offers - in a rather pushy way - to switch rooms with them, as he and his son, he insists, have no need of a view. Charlotte is horrified and embarrassed at this, but is persuaded by a clergyman friend, Mr Beebe (Simon Callow) who just happens to be there too, that it would be fine to accept the offer.

Mr Emerson’s son George (Julian Sands) is something of a free spirit, and falls for Lucy. He assists her when she sees an unpleasant fight, and she’s appreciative. But when they go on a drive and he kisses her, she is shocked; Charlotte even more so, when she comes across them.

The story moves to the UK, where, by a series of coincidences, Mr Emerson and George become neighbours of Lucy and her family. But Lucy has just got engaged to a young man called Cecil (Daniel Day Lewis) although it’s hard to imagine why; he’s brilliantly portrayed as an unbelievably dull and self-centred person who really wants to marry Lucy for his own sake, as she’s young and attractive….

With such a high quality cast, it’s not surprising that the film is very watchable, with an excellent pace and authentic scenery. There’s humour here and there - not just in the caricatured Cecil, but in a scene which we couldn’t possibly forget, in which two young men (and one not-so-young) decide to bathe in a local lake… without any swimwear.

I remember being a tad surprised that the film is rated PG as there is quite a bit of nudity portrayed in this scene; however it’s all in the context of humour with nothing remotely sexual about it. More concerning is the fight scene early in the film which has a lot of blood, and which causes Lucy to faint (and me to turn my head away). I suspect a rating nowadays would put this at 12 (as it is in several countries). Having said that, there’s no bad language, and not even a hint of a bedroom scene.

It’s unlikely to appeal to a child anyway; it’s a brilliant production, but there’s not a great deal of plot. So it will only really be of interest to those who like classic period drama, including older teenagers.  It's a comedy of manners, in a refined kind of way, but it's also, essentially, a love story.

‘Room with a View’ is nearly two hours long, but I was fully absorbed and enjoyed it very much. I even laughed aloud a couple of times. I hope we’ll watch it again in another decade or so, or possibly even sooner.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

My House in Umbria (Maggie Smith)

(Amazon UK link)

It's about eight and a half years since we first watched ‘My House in Umbria’, and we had entirely forgotten what it was about. I barely glanced at the box as we put the DVD in to watch last night, and was delighted to hear - and then see - Maggie Smith as the main protagonist. She is playing the part of the successful novelist Emily Delahunte, who lives in a large house in Italy. She’s probably supposed to be in her sixties, or early seventies, and we meet her as she catches a train to Milan, rather at the last minute.

Emily is in a carriage with several other people, and as a writer she naturally glances at them, and wonders about their stories. There’s a young German couple, apparently in the first flushes of romance. There’s an elderly military man (Ronnie Barker) with his daughter, and an American married couple, clearly comfortable with each other, and their daughter Aimee (Emmy Clarke).  Emily speaks to Aimee, who is a little reserved, not helped by her mother telling her not to ask so many questions.

Then disaster strikes out of the blue in a shocking moment - and we next see Emily in hospital, with severe injuries. She recovers gradually, and learns that just three of the people from her carriage survived, one of them being Aimee. Aimee has stopped talking, after the trauma, and doesn’t appear to have any relatives so Emily decides to invite her, together with the other two survivors, to stay at her house in Umbria to convalesce, and to find somewhere to process their grief.

At this point we had remembered at least part of the story, and the locations, which are gorgeous. Emily is an excellent hostess, helped by her friend and colleague Quinty (Timothy Spall). The Major (Ronnie Barker), the young German (Benno Fürmann) and Aimee gradually become like a family, and when Aimee starts talking again - albeit with a lot of memory loss - they all rejoice.

Alongside the story of the growing friendship and healing is an investigation into why the attack happened, and also some flashbacks into Emily’s past, which was one of abuse and neglect. This has perhaps led her to be such a warm-hearted and encouraging person - but as there’s no resolution of the past, it felt a bit superfluous and unnecessary. And she’s shown increasingly as a heavy drinker, something, again, which seems out of character and not entirely relevant to the story.

But the acting is excellent. No surprise with Maggie Smith, but we were also very impressed with Ronnie Barker, who is best known for his stand-up comedy routines. He was entirely believable as the Major. In addition, the scenery is stunning, and the story, overall, encouraging and uplifting. There are even one or two moments of humour, in contrast to the main themes. We hadn’t remembered how it would end - there’s a poignant climax as the party begins to disintegrate after one of Emily’s relatives is found - but then there’s an entirely satisfying (if somewhat unlikely) concluding scene that leaves some hope for the future.

All in all, we liked it very much. The rating is 12, which I think is about right. I don’t recall any bad language, and the references that make it 12 rather than PG are so quickly done that they could easily be missed. Even the horrendous violent incident and the gory hospital scenes are sensitively done, mostly implying what happens rather than showing gratuitous detail.

However, since the main characters are of retirement age, and the issues covered are quite mature, I doubt if  this film would be of interest to anyone younger than about thirty.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Holiday (Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s eight years since we saw ‘The Holiday’, and we had both entirely forgotten the plot. Even as the end approached, we couldn’t remember the conclusion, although we did both have a sudden recall of particular scenes as they were shown.

It’s a Christmas film, really, although we’ve now seen it twice in the middle of the year. But while it ends on New Year’s Eve and is set over the festive season, it doesn’t particularly matter. The story involves two rather depressed (though very different) women. Cameron Diaz plays the rather over-excitable and impetuous Amanda, who lives in California. She owns a film trailer making company and lives in a large house with a pool. We meet her when she’s having a row with her boyfriend, and ends up throwing him out.

Kate Winslet is the other young woman - Iris, who lives in Surrey in the UK in a small but pretty cottage. She’s been in love with one of her colleagues for years. They were an item at one point, but he was unfaithful with another colleague. But he insists he needs her at work, and she keeps hoping he’ll see the light and go back to her…

Amanda decides she needs a real break, so she scrolls through holiday lets online, and picks on Iris’s cottage. They have a brief online chat, and agree to switch houses for two weeks. It all happens rather too easily - the details are ignored in the film - and within 24 hours each is on her way to the other side of the world. Iris is overwhelmed by the magnificence of her accommodation, complete with swimming pool, indoor gym, and enormous flatscreen TV.

Amanda is less impressed with hers, with its old-fashioned bath rather than a shower, a tiny TV, and nothing working by remote controls. Indeed, she’s all set to fly back when Iris’s brother Graham (Jude Law) arrives, hoping to crash on the sofa after an evening at the pub. Amanda is instantly attracted to him, and makes a somewhat shocking suggestion…

Iris, meanwhile, is getting to know her neighbours, in particular the elderly Arthur who used to be a film writer. He feels rather sorry for himself, struggling to get anywhere, convinced the world has forgotten him. With Iris’s help, he becomes a little fitter, and even does a presentation, talking about his career. Iris gets friendly, too, with some of Amanda’s colleagues...

The stories run alongside each other, as Amanda and Graham become closer, and she decides to stay for the full two weeks, although neither of them has any idea where the relationship is going. He has an unexpected secret which she discovers almost by chance, something which, again, we had entirely forgotten about.

Of course everything happens in a very short time-span, some of the things (such as Arthur’s increased mobility) happening with astonishing rapidity. But reality has to be suspended somewhat. There are some continuity errors and goofs - but, again, it really doesn’t matter. This is escapism at its sentimental, schmalzy best.

There’s quite a bit of humour in this film, as well as the relationship issues. It’s nicely paced and very well done - not surprisingly, with the high quality actors involved. There are deeper issues than simple romance too: loneliness, and how far to trust someone who has cheated, and when to decide to move on.

The rating is 12, which is probably due to the relatively small amount of bad language, and the lack of anything too explicit. Having said that, there are a lot of sexual references and implications, with some scenes before and after, so I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone below the age of about fifteen.

But for older teens and adults wanting an enjoyable light evening’s viewing, with an entirely satisfactory (if contrived) ending, I’d recommend this highly. Maybe one day we’ll even watch it over the Christmas period.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

Father of the Bride II (Steve Martin)

(Amazon UK link)

We rewatched the Steve Martin version of ‘Father of the Bride’ about a month ago, so it seemed like a good idea to pull out the sequel, unoriginally called ‘Father of the Bride 2’ which we previously saw in January 2013. We vaguely remembered the story, once it had got going, but that really didn’t matter.

It’s light, it’s a bit schmaltzy, and the whole story revolves around a rather unlikely coincidence… but that really doesn’t matter. Steve Martin is so very good in his comic timing and his facial expressions that we felt quite caught up in the story.

It takes place a year or so after the first film, and Steve Martin, as George Banks, explains that he’s just about paid for his daughter Annie (Kimberley Williams-Paisley)’s wedding. He’s enjoying life, still very much in love with his wife Nina (Diane Keaton), and becoming quite fond of his son-in-law Brian (George Newbern). His house is all paid for, his son Matty (Kieran Culkin) is twelve years old and George realises that in five or six years Matty will be off to college, and then he and Nina will be free to do pretty much anything.

The story opens as Annie and Bryan arrive for a little family get-together where his parents are invited too. It’s obvious that everyone (except the slightly hapless George) assumes they’re going to announce a pregnancy… and his reaction when that eventually turns out to be the case is brilliantly done. As is his behaviour over the next week or two when he determines that he’s not going to become an old, wizened grandfather, but wants to look young and fit. So he surprises Nina with a new haircut…

Much of the humour comes from the way George and Nina react to each other, each becoming frustrated with the other at times, but also both very deeply attached. George loves his children too. He found it very hard to let go of Annie, and he worries about her. But through the film he gradually begins to accept that it’s no longer his role to protect her from everything, and that Bryan is now the first man in his daughter’s life.

There’s much more - to give any more plot would be a major spoiler, although most synopses (and the back of the DVD) give it away anyway. Suffice it to say that Franck (Martin Short) who featured in the first film appears, with his exaggerated enthusiasm and fake French accent. He takes a significant part not just in a baby shower but in events towards the end of the film.

The pace is just right, there are unexpected humorous moments, and also quite a bit of poignancy. When we first saw this film we had a married son, but we were not grandparents, although it was imminent. Now we have grandchildren, we could empathise all the more with the slightly unsatisfactory ending of the film. George has made a decision that is for his daughter’s sake, even though it’s something that is going to break his heart, at least for a while.

There are no extras on our DVD, but that didn’t matter. It was a light-weight and very enjoyable evening's viewing, and made an excellent sequel to the first ‘Father of the Bride’ film.

Definitely recommended if you like the romantic comedy genre and want something that’s almost entirely family friendly. There’s no bad language that I can remember, no violence (although some mild threats in a couple of places), and only the mildest of innuendoes. Unlikely to be of interest to younger children, but suitable for anyone of about ten and upwards. Best seen after the first film.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

Ice Princess (Michelle Trachtenberg)

(Amazon UK link)

Every so often, browsing a second-hand stall or thrift shop, I come across a DVD which I have never heard of, but which looks like a good film. ‘Ice Princess’ was one that caught my eye recently, so I paid my fifty cents. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but assumed it would be fairly lightweight and innocent as it’s a Disney production with a U rating.

Casey (Michelle Trachtenberg) is the main character in the story. She’s sixteen, and a physics geek. She has quite a pushy mother (Joan Cusack) who is determined that she should get into Harvard University. Her physics teacher thinks she’s in with a chance of a scholarship, if she can come up with an unusual and compelling research project.

One of the things Casey does for exercise and relaxation is ice skating. She hasn’t had lessons; she skates around a large pond outside her home. But in conversation with some girls at her school who are skating in competitions, she starts wondering if she could digitise their movements, and calculate what would help with faster turns, higher jumps and other moves.

Inevitably she gets into trouble when she starts trying to film some of her classmates training, but is able to persuade one of the coaches, Tina (Kim Cattrall), and the parents that she’s not a spy, and not planning to hurt anyone or publish anything other than in her project. She gets quite excited about it, and makes some interesting discoveries… then realises that if she’s going to make this project truly personal, she should take some lessons herself and apply her principles to her own skating.

Casey and her mother don’t have spare money - her mother is a teacher, and her father isn’t in the picture - but she works in fast-food places to earn sufficient to take lessons with much younger children. And, perhaps inevitably, she turns out to have a lot of talent.

So there’s a lot of skating in the film, there’s some tension including some quite heated scenes between Casey and her mother who would be horrified if she realises how much time her daughter is giving to skating, and how much she enjoys it. There’s tension, too, with the coach Tina and her daughter Gen (Hayden Panettiere), who is being trained every moment of the day, unable to eat what she wants to eat, or to spend any time with her boyfriend. But Amy, unlike some of her friends, is not passionate about skating and would really like a more ordinary life…

It’s quite an old film now, made in 2005, but it doesn’t come across as dated (other than the lack of mobile phones). The characters are mostly three-dimensional; I particularly liked Tina’s son Teddy (Trevor Blumas) who drives the machine that smooths the ice after it’s been used. Gen has two friends who are committed skaters, also very talented, and there’s quite a bit of humour in their interactions, albeit a bit caricatured.

There’s nothing very deep about this film; it’s a ‘follow your dream’ theme, not really surprising for Disney and although there’s a bit of unpleasantness towards the end, and an attempt at sabotage, it’s all resolved relatively easily. Some of the parent-daughter scene are quite tense, but again everything turns out well at the end.

It made a pleasant hour-and-a-half’s viewing. It’s the kind of film that would be suitable for anyone, even fairly young children, although unlikely to be of much interest to anyone younger than about ten. A younger child might need to know that there are no princesses involved. The only ‘extras’ are some deleted scenes, which were interesting to watch.

Recommended if you want something light for the whole family.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews