Music Within is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Steven Sawalich and starring Ron Livingston, Melissa George, Michael Sheen, Rebecca De Mornay and Marion Ross. The film tells the true story of Richard Pimentel, a respected public speaker whose hearing disability attained in the Vietnam War drove him to become an activist for the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The film, which takes place in Portland, Oregon, was filmed on and around the Portland State University campus.
Video Music Within
Plot
The true story of Richard Pimentel, a brilliant public speaker with a troubled past. As a young man, Pimentel (Ron Livingston) realized he had a remarkable gift for public speaking. Pimentel's idol is College Bowl founder Dr. Padrow (Hector Elizondo), but upon trying out for Dr. Padrow, the ambitious young speaker is informed that he won't have anything to talk about until he has lived a full life.
Realizing that there is some merit to Dr. Padrow's observation, Pimentel subsequently enlists in the military and prepares for duty in Vietnam. Later, while fighting on the battlefield, Pimentel loses most of his hearing and is left with permanent tinnitus. He returns home frustrated. When others inform him that he will never achieve his dreams because he is deaf, the determined veteran makes it his mission to prove them wrong.
But it is not as much about changing others' perceptions of persons with disabilities as it is about altering their perceptions of themselves, and with a little help from foul-mouthed genius Art Honeyman (Michael Sheen) (who has cerebral palsy), free-spirited beauty Christine (Melissa George), and mercurial, hard-drinking veteran Mike Stoltz (Yul Vázquez), Pimentel will play a pivotal role in creating the Americans With Disabilities Act, and finally discover his inner music.
Maps Music Within
Primary cast
- Ron Livingston as Richard Pimentel
- Melissa George as Christine
- Michael Sheen as Art Honeyman
- Yul Vazquez as Mike Stolz
- Rebecca De Mornay as Mrs. Pimental
- Hector Elizondo as Ben Padrow
- Leslie Nielsen as Bill Austin
- Ridge Canipe as Young Richard Pimental
- Paul Michael as Joe
- Clint Jung as Mr. Pimental
- John Livingston as Mr. Parks
Awards
Movie director Steven Sawalich won an Audience Award at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival for best narrative feature film.
Home video
Music Within was released on Region 1 DVD on April 8, 2008.
See also
- List of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing
References
External links
- Music Within on IMDb
- Music Within at AllMovie
- Music Within at Rotten Tomatoes
Source of the article : Wikipedia