Open iTunes to preview, buy, and download this movie.
Plot Summary
Richard Pimentel (Ron Livingston) begins his life as a fighter, and his life's work becomes a process of fighting for the rights of others. Rising up from a childhood in a dysfunctional family, armed with a talent for public speaking and a winning personality, the young man makes his way to a Northwestern college, confident that he will ace his try-out for his idol Dr. Ben Padrow (Hector Elizondo), the coach of the winningest team in the history of the College Bowl. But Dr. Padrow shatters his dream when he rejects him. Richard's immediate reaction is to enlist in the army for a tour of duty in Vietnam. During combat, the young recruit loses his hearing to a bomb blast, and has to deal with this newfound disability on his return to civilian life in Oregon. Richard discovers that his disability and the struggle to transcend it is a defining moment in his fight for what he believes in. When he tries to help his friends, vets like himself and others with disabilities, to get work in an environment that treats them with pity at best and disdain as a matter of course, he realizes that he can make a difference. The friends who make up his close-knit clique are: Art Honneyman (Michael Sheen), a student wheel chair user with cerebral palsy who uses his rapier wit to deflect the prejudice that greets his disturbing appearance; Mike Stoltz (Yul Vazquez), a fellow veteran with a lot of rage and nowhere to put it; and then there is Christine (Melissa George), the passionate libertine who strokes Richard's ego and initiates him into the world of free love. Together, the friends experience the currents of those turbulent times, and the wild, joyful energy of winning through confrontation and humor. Without his hearing Richard is all the more prepared to listen to the message deep within himself, and to carry that message to the thousands of people whose lives are improved by the movement he helps to organize.
Credits
Director
Screenwriters
Producers
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
33%- Reviews Counted: 42
- Fresh: 14
- Rotten: 28
- Average Rating: 5.2/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: The real world needs more dogged folks willing to tilt at windmills. But movies often don't do their stories justice, and that has happened again here.
Rotten: [The filmmakers] make the common error of attempting to cover every seemingly significant moment in the man's life rather than focusing on the greatest conflicts.
Rotten: A well-intentioned biopic about disability crusader Richard Pimentel that starts strong but eventually collapses under its weighty sense of responsibility.
Rotten: All inspiring stuff, but Music Within is strictly by the numbers, even down to the predictable mood-setting period soundtrack numbers
Customer Reviews
A super movie everyone should see and share with others!
An honor to be the first reviewer of this super movie. It gets five stars because it made my cry, made me laugh, brought back memories and ran the gamut of emotions via my heart. The "Music Within" is an enlightenment, an awakening to wonderful possibilities. The acting is super and from the heart. Cheers to Steven Sawalich, the producers and everyone involved in making this movie. A true story and we need more inspiring movies like this. Gift this movie! Please Apple, wish I could buy this movie - & * make all movies affordable for purchase! Music Within is super groovy! Rent this! : ) Psychild
tight.
Excellent. I’m not sorry I rented it.
Inspiring
This movie will give you a life lesson on perspective; it urges you to see what the disabled feel. I totally learned something new from this movie. To come to an end, this movie is worth your time if you willing to learn!
Viewers Also Bought
![Rails & Ties](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/F3F8/frameworks/images/p.png)
- Rails & Ties
- Alison Eastwood
- View In iTunes
![An American Rhapsody](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/F3F8/frameworks/images/p.png)
- An American Rhapsody
- Eva Gardos
- View In iTunes
![Things We Lost In the Fire](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/F3F8/frameworks/images/p.png)
- Things We Lost In the Fire
- Susanne Bier
- View In iTunes
![The Architect](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/F3F8/frameworks/images/p.png)
- The Architect
- Matt Tauber
- View In iTunes
![Vitus](https://s.mzstatic.com/htmlResources/F3F8/frameworks/images/p.png)
- Vitus
- Fredi M. Murer
- View In iTunes