Music's ties to memories and emotion lie at the center of this poignant, insightful drama based on Dr. Oliver Sacks' neurological case study, The Last Hippie. The story begins in 1985 when distraught parents Henry and Helen Sawyer (J.K. Simmons and Cara Seymour) are summoned to a New York hospital where their long-lost 36-year-old son Gabriel (Lou Taylor Pucci) has been admitted with a brain tumor. Although the benign mass is surgically removed, the part of his brain handling memory is irrevocably damaged, so the almost catatonic Gabriel is trapped in the year 1968, unaware of everything that has transpired since. Henry always shared his passion for big-band music with Gabriel, so he engages the help of music therapist Dianne Daly (Julia Ormond), who discovers that Gabriel reacts not to his father's preferences but to songs from the '60s, opening a possible channel of communication with Gabriel, who favors the Grateful Dead. Rock 'n' roll–hating Henry reluctantly becomes a Deadhead in order to forge a bond with his son. Simmons' engrossing performance anchors director Jim Kohlberg's intensely human feel-good film that delivers a heartfelt message across the generations. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Jim Kohlberg, cast interviews with J.K. Simmons and Lou Taylor Pucci (16 min.), interviews with author Oliver Sacks (11 min. total), deleted scenes (9 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a winning film.] (S. Granger)
The Music Never Stopped
Lionsgate, 105 min., PG, DVD: $27.99, Aug. 2 Volume 26, Issue 4
The Music Never Stopped
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