Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This is one of the best films I have ever saw in my life. It made me cry, laugh and really think. I think everyone needs to see this film you won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding.
Review: Streep and Bassett are wonderful in this heart-felt drama about a music teacher who "belives" and makes a tremendous difference in the lives of young inner-city children. Funny and poignant. Very highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 and a half is more like it
Review: This was a good movie. However, it was more of a movie than a biographical account. The bulk of the film seemed to focus on the "fiddle fest" concert at the end, but it realy didn't focus a great deal on the amount of work needed in the early stages of the program to make it work. A white woman doesn't just walk into a school in East Harlem and start a violin program. There is very little focus on the work needed to win the students over to the idea or even how they were taught. One second she's showing them how to stand, the next it is half way through the term and they are playing songs. What happened in between?!? As a musician myself, I greatly disliked Roberta's teaching styles. If that whole "tough love" approach was indeed how she teaches ("that's terrible" etc.) then I have considerably less respect for her. It works for some students, but not all. She was quite the overbearing mother forcing her kids to practice. I don't like watching kids forced into playing music-it ought to begin out of joy for the instrument, not because mom thinks that you must play violin. Even her own sons quit violin-part of a teacher's job should be to instill a love of the instrument in the student, not force them away from it. The characters are enjoyable and there are some wonderful moments throughout, but it really does feel more like a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV mini-series or something.
| 
