SHARING THE SHOWS
It’s a good thing I’m not a professional movie critic who was assigned to write about The Music Never Stopped; I knew I was going to like it based on the trailer (which essentially gave away the Grateful Dead-driven plot). That’s the halo effect for you. At any rate, though, I don’t see too many concerts in the near future (damn ‘demic!), so I’ll post a music-themed movie review instead.
Based on Oliver Sacks’s essay, “The Last Hippie,” this movie presents J.K. Simmons in an emotional performance as Henry, an uptight father who became estranged from his son, Gabriel, due to a conflict they had twenty years ago due to music and teenage rebellion. At the beginning of the film, Henry and his wife Helen receive a phone call from the hospital, informing them Gabriel has a brain tumor that has inhibited his ability to form new short-term memories. In Gabriel’s mind, it’s still 1970. Initially catatonic, Gabriel’s therapist, Diane, discovers that Gabriel comes alive when she plays the music that he loved: Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and especially, the Grateful Dead. Henry couldn’t stand these artists, which eventually led to his estrangement from Gabriel. Now he has to become a Deadhead to communicate with his son. While I agree with critic Phillip Martin that the movie does have the feel and look of a disease-of-the-week Lifetime movie special, I didn’t care. The scenes of Henry getting into Gabriel’s world pack an emotional punch, and the music rocks (of course). Simmons plays it gently in his portrayal of a devoted but rigid husband and father who gradually learns he has to accept Gabriel on Gabriel’s terms if he wants to have a relationship with him. As the film progresses, Simmons’s acting becomes more non-verbal, as he begins to really listen to Gabriel. It’s a much gentler performance than his Vern Schillinger (Oz) or Terrence Fletcher (Whiplash). Likewise, Pucci conveys youthful innocence as a flower child, both in present-day and in flashbacks to the 60s. The supporting performances are first-rate as well. Cara Seymour’s Helen has a nice arc where she starts out as an obedient wife, but is forced to liberate herself due to the circumstances of her family, and Julia Ormond is a delight as the therapist who remains professional in the midst of rock concert-like sessions with Gabriel. There’s also a nice touch from Mia Maestro as a hospital cafeteria worker Gabriel crushes on. The movie wisely doesn’t force a romantic subplot on them (it just wouldn’t be practical), but her life is changed for the better as a result of their friendship, even if it has to end. SPOILER ALERT: If I do have one nit to pick, it’s in the portrayal of the Grateful Dead concert Henry and Gabriel attend toward the end of the film, which is supposed to cement the relationship. Henry, who’s recently had a heart attack, essentially railroads Gabriel’s doctor into allowing them to attend the show. The doc rightfully protests against a cardio present escorting an amnesiac going to a Dead show , which, while fun, wouldn’t be known for being predictable. However, they have to go for the purposes of the screenplay. Additionally, while I haven’t seen any depictions of Dead shows on film, this one is pretty awful. First off, by the 1980s, the Dead weren’t playing smaller venues like the Hammerstein. They were packing the likes of Madison Square Garden. There were probably some practical concerns with respect to where they could film, but still… Those quibbles aside, I enjoyed the film. It tells a touching story, and the symbolism of “Touch of Grey” as an indication that Gabriel may be able to start forming new memories is not unlike the role of that song starting a new era introducing Generation Xers to the Dead (this one included). Works Cited “Grateful Dead Setlists: 1987.” Web. 31 October 2020. https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mleone/gdead/87.html Martin, Philip. “Movie Review: The Music Never Stopped.” Arkansas Democrat Gazette. 6 May 2011. Web. 21 October 2020. MoviemaniacsDE. “The Music Never Stopped Trailer.” YouTube, 16 February 2011. Web. 31 October 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOKP4I5Y2zY Sacks, Oliver. “The Last Hippie.” The New York Review. 26 March 1992. Web. 31 October 2020. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1992/03/26/the-last-hippie/
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