The Music Never Stopped (2011) Online

The Music Never Stopped is a beautiful film based on a true story about the relationship between father and son, and between music and the brain. J.K. Simmons and Lou Taylor Pucci deliver incredible performances as estranged father and son, Henry and Gabriel. (Slight spoilers follow, but all information can be found within the first 20 minutes or so of the film.) The two both have a great love for music, but their relationship falls apart as Gabriel gets wrapped up in the hippie culture of the 60's and the Grateful Dead. When Gabriel gets a brain tumor as an adult, music therapy is used to improve his memory, which has been destroyed in the removal of the tumor.

This movie has a great soundtrack, full of the classic rock music of the late 60's. This is certainly a music-lovers film! If your favorite song takes you back to the moment you heard it, this is a film for you! If music touches your soul, this is a must see!

If you don't love the music of the late 60's, you will still find this film a moving piece of art. The relationships between each character are authentic and personal. It is an absolute must see! *Reviewed from Sundance screening*

Oliver Sacks, M.D. is a physician and professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center. In 2007, he was named the first Columbia University Artist, in recognition of his contributions to the arts. THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED is an adaptation (by Gwyn Lurie and Gary Marks) of "The Last Hippie", a short story/essay from Sacks' "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat", a collection of case history stories. Dr. Sacks is a neurologist who has spent his career diagnosing, evaluating, and treating a variety of neurological disorders (and the oftentimes the profound personality shifts that resulted in brain injury or trauma). This information provides a bit of reality ground to the film and makes it all the more important to see and respect. As directed by Jim Kohlberg, this film is a quiet, reverent, at times disturbing exploration of the many aspects of brain function and malfunction and an example of adaptation to these challenges.

Gabriel Sawyer (Lou Taylor Pucci) was a bright youngster in the 1070s when the Vietnam war was altering the nation's perception of right and wrong as expressed in the music of Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Cream, the Beatles, etc. Longing to be a professional musician he foregoes his parent's wishes that he attend college and with regret leaves his girlfriend Tamara (Tammy Blanchard) and takes off for New York's Greenwich Village. Fast forward to 1986 and Gabriel is hospitalized for an enormous brain tumor, surgically removed, but leaving Gabriel without the ability to remember. At this point Gabriel's parents are located and his father Henry (J.K. Simmons) and mother Helen (Cara Seymour) visit him in the hospital, longing to reconnect with the son that has been absent for fifteen years. The lack of memory emphasizes the schism between Henry and Gabriel and Henry's depressed state results in his being placed on sick leave from his successful job to deal with the trauma of his family. Music having been so important to Gabriel as young man introduces the music therapist Dianne Daley (Julia Ormond) who meticulously follows the cues form Gabriel's attention span and is able to open the doorway to his memory loss through his love of the music of his time. Henry latches on to this and decides the only way he will be able to rebuild the broken fence of his relationship to Gabriel will be through music and together the two find connection despite the neurological blockades.

The cast is exemplary: J.K. Simmons is splendid as the father, Cara Seymour makes the mother wholly credible, Julia Ormond gives a selfless, fine performance, and Lou Taylor Pucci brings life to the long injured Gabriel. The music is by the recordings of the period with special music supplied by Paul Cantelon. Stephen Kazmierski's camera work allows almost unbearably touching close-ups of each of the actors that open the story for us. This is a film based on a true case history, but this is also a story that is immensely touching and uplifting simply from the way it has been written, directed and acted.

Grady Harp

I was a child of the 60s, grew up in the 70s, made most of my life's mistakes in the 80s, but also learned an awful lot about life those three decades. That time period made me who I am today. I don't take much for granted. I played a LOT outside as a child, my mind was not desensitized by video games. My growing years were filled with music about the reason for war and the wrongs of war. Popular songs about love were poetic, meanings often hidden, and not in your face expletives.

Having said all that, this movie reached me deep inside. Music was always a part of my life... from day one. My father liked Glenn Miller and my mother loved Elvis. To this day I love that music too, as well as my own preferences with which I grew up. Despite my father never liking the Beatles, they are my favorite band of all time to this day. I think he objected to their hair. My father had a 30 year career in the U.S. Army. He served at the end of WWII, the Korean conflict and Vietnam. My love of the anti-war songs were not in rebellion to what he was doing, but instead reassured everyone that we found our American soldiers more valuable than whatever it was we were fighting for in Vietnam. Now my stepson is at the end of his tour of Afghanistan. I love him dearly, and support what he does and support our troops mission, but they need to come home now. What songs today speak of our missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Libyan conflict? It's just not the same.

In the 70s, besides never setting the Beatles aside, I loved CSN, CCR, Joni Mitchell and most of the artists who took part in Woodstock back in 1969, as well as all the great bands and singer/songwriters that followed. Songs of peace, love and understanding.

I became a DJ at age 16 and after disco unfortunately changed everything and college was over, I worked a couple of years as a roadie and eventually became a musician as well.

I put my guitar down around 1990 and didn't pick it up again in seriousness until 2007. That period includes probably the darkest period in my life. I will never set music aside again.

Should I, God forbid, suffer the plight of the main character in this movie, my wife knows what music to play.

I didn't feel the need to review this film as a critic, because my experience with this film was more emotional than intellectual. If you don't have instant recollection of a moment in your past whenever you hear a certain song, this movie is not for you. However, if you do have a solid connection between music and a memory, don't miss this film.

Julia Ormond was good in this film as the doctor that finds the connection. However, the real stars are the lesser known J.K. Simmons and Lou Taylor Pucci who did an incredible job of showing the differences in generations and how the tables can turn when your ears and your heart open up to something new or something you hated because of lack of understanding. I think in all of life's steps on the road through life, denial is the most destructive.

Don't view this movie technically, you'll miss the point. Open your heart and your soul, and you'll get it. Enjoy.

It's 1987, and when a long-absent son turns up with a brain tumor that robs him of immediate memory, his father (JK Simmons) struggles to deal with the past through the eyes of a son who is frozen in memories.

OK, Dead fans know the title; if you're of a generation that listened to vinyl, here's your homage to the power of records and the 60s.

Small budget written all over this, that is all heart and talented talent that has talent. Did I mention talent? Having seen it at Sundance Chicago, the director explained that he'd been studying neurological science material and THAT is reflected in how uncommonly well the young actor, Gabe, nails his role as a person whose brain injury sometimes clicks on... and off. Director spoke about the editing down of the tale, and I think we'd really like to see it expanded back to a longer film; there's a few lessons here worthy of more screen time.

There's a jaw-dropping "how'd they do that?" in here worthy of cheers and worth the ticket price. Hope they "expand" that for the DVD!!!

This is a great little film without special effects but packed with the true mastery of a small story told very, emotionally, well. Familiar faces deliver for all they're worth and well-done filmmakers techniques bless MUSIC with obvious "extra efforts" that put all of the money up on the screen.

"(Rhythm) is there in the cycles of the seasons, in the migrations of the birds and animals, in the fruiting and withering of plants, and in the birth, maturation and death of ourselves," -Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead)

What is it about music that resonates so much with people? Is it chemical? A part of the brain that responds to the frequencies and rhythm of certain sounds played in a progression? Or, is it just the fact that it makes one "feel" something? Music, like any other form of art brings out a "feeling" in the one experiencing it. Those feelings will be different for everyone and some will be permanently effected by them. Music can do many things. It can heal, damage, make you dance, give you a headache and even make you "high". According to many music therapists, it can also help recall memories. "The Music Never Stopped" explores this phenomenon beautifully and is a testament to our souls connection with our music. Set in the 80's with flashbacks to the 60's and 70's "The Music Never Stopped" has some of the best music from the bands of that era. The film runs the gamete of emotions and has some powerful performances from the actors and classic bands such as The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and The Beatles.

Gabriel, a 30 something man with a brain tumor is unable to form new memories. He can remember his life growing up, playing music and following his favorite bands around the country, but he can't remember what his nurse just said to him 5 minutes ago. Lou Tayler Pucci plays the down to earth "hippie" Gabriel graciously and I was very impressed with his performance. He was subtle but beautifully represented those of us obsessed with music and it's meanings. I felt a real connection with Gabriel and his relationship with his father Henry, played impeccably by J.K. Simmons. They have such an interesting and ever-changing dynamic, it was a pleasure to watch it all unfold. Henry is devastated by the diagnosis Gabriel has received and feels helpless. That is until he see's Gabriel's eyes light up at the sound of a familiar piece of music. He realizes that through music he can connect once again with his son and hopefully repair their broken relationship.

Based on the case study "The Last Hippie" by Dr. Oliver Sacks, "The Music Never Stopped" is a wonderful story and I highly recommend it. It pulls on the heart strings of young and old alike bringing them together with the power of great music. With a PG rating, "The Music Never Stopped" doesn't feel like an after school special on father and son relationships. It's obvious that the lesson goes much deeper than that. The film is about connecting to each other through music and taking the time to understand each other through that medium. The father/son dynamic is the ideal setting to get this point across and there are some very dramatic scenes that may bring a tear to your eye. It sure did for me.

The idea is hope. The year is 1986 and Gabe, a mid 30's former hippe has just been located after 20 years on the road. His parents are typical; his father was a war veteran who thinks that nothing he did was ever wrong and his mother just wished she knew the right words to say.

Through music the characters learn what is important; the moments to remember, the moments to change, the moments that will scuplt their souls.

I cannot express enough how uplifting this movie was. Anyone who is a fan of music and anyone who just needs a bright spot in their day needs to see this.

I enjoyed this movie last night at the Foster Theater inside of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum...

J.K. steals the movie in a dark-horse Oscar performance - but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the rest of the cast. (some production $$$ lacking, i.e. perhaps the worst fake beard ever) The STAR of this movie was *music* - not the soundtrack (although Deadheads will be thrilled), but the emotions and memories that music engenders. The way a song can change your mood, serve as a bridge to your memories. The movie has back-beats about father & son, husband & wife, a mother fretting over her son, Korean vs. Vietnam Wars, even lost love - but the hook is *music*...

*that* song you heard when you met your best girl, *that* song playing when you first had sex, when *music* meant something to you on an emotional and visceral level.

The movie harmonizes a teenager of the early 1950s as the father of a teenager of the late 1960s, showing how their mutual love of *music* manages to bring them back together across the generational gap - and the tumor-induced memory gaps of the son.

If you've ever heard your parents say "turn that crap down", if you've ever said that to your own kid - this movie is for you. You will laugh, you will cry. You will leave the theater wanting to listen to some of your parents' music, and being a little more tolerant of that noise your kid is listening to...

The Music Never Stopped is about a father's struggles to reconnect with his son, who's unable to form new memories owing to a brain tumor. Sounds like movie-of-the-week fluff, but the movie is never manipulative. It's a terrific, old-school sentimental film that tears your heart out without stooping to clichés. In fact, it absolutely brilliant not only in spinning its main theme but in how it sets that father-son connection against a wholly accurate musical background. The music, that is, ain't there just to showcase a period.

We meet our leads right away. It's 1986, and father Henry (J.K. Simmons) and mother Helen (Cara Seymour) Sawyer have just discovered that their long-estranged son Gabriel (Lou Taylor Pucci) is in a hospital, diagnosed with a large brain tumor. The tumor is operable and benign, but the doctor tells the stricken parents that Gabriel - whom they haven't seen in about twenty years - can no longer form new memories. What he does remember ends at about 1970.

After trying all sorts of medicines and other therapies, Henry finds an article written by a musical therapist, Dianne Daley (Julia Ormond); Daley tries to use music to bring Gabriel back to the present, as he still believes it's 1970 or so. And she quickly learns - no spoiler here - that although Gabriel is musically inclined, he reacts positively only to music from the late 1960s and thereabouts, especially that of the Grateful Dead.

Now, confession time. Those of you who know me well know that I am a Deadhead. Have been on the bus for a long time now. So I had high expectations for this movie, perhaps expectations that even differed from other viewers. And I can confidently say that the movie far exceeded those expectations.

Here's why. The movie doesn't just use the music as a prop to move the plot forward. Why does Gabriel react positively only to this music? What happened in 1970? We do find out, and it is very important. But the impetus for Gabriel's leaving home as a teenager is closely tied to the connection each of us feels with our own favorite music. Everyone has some song they love, the movie tells us, and when we hear that song we are taken back to a time and place that is unique to our memories. Others may hear the same song and are affected differently by it. In Gabriel's case, the songs from that era represent the last time he was truly all right. When his parents hear the same songs in 1986, their memories are colored by what they've experienced since then.

Gabriel is never depicted as a simple, brain-dead hippie. He's just some kid who's in a band, like so many long-haired youths were back then, emulating groups like The Beatles, the Stones, and yes, the Dead. Playing covers. Enjoying themselves, falling in love. Gabriel not only knows all of the current (for the time) bands, he knows the meanings behind songs such as Dylan's "Desolation Row." Gabriel, for a high-school kid, is a pretty deep thinker.

He shares his love of music with his father, who grew up with more staid orchestral arrangements - some Count Basie, some Bing Crosby, and so on. Completely different music, and yet each uses his favorite songs to relate to favorite memories.

Henry eventually does realize that the best way to communicate with his son is to learn every Grateful Dead song and then play the records for him when he visits Gabriel in his hospice-like home. Anything, you see, to try to get his son back to him.

It doesn't matter if you like the Dead's music. It really doesn't. As any tour veteran would tell you, the experience of a show is one you'll never get anywhere else. Often imitated, never duplicated. There's a lot going on, and event is a culture unto itself. In this movie, director Jim Kohlberg uses some of the songs and a (staged) concert in order to depict this experience, and truthfully it's as accurate as it could possibly be - well, for a movie that uses no authentic concert footage.

This is not a movie that will make you laugh very often. Gabriel gets off some bon mots, some of which are unintentional, what with the memory loss thing. Simmons gets great lines, too. But essentially, this is a sad movie that never wallows in melodrama, a feat that most movies simply can't pull off. The movie engages us with the characters, makes us love them and regard them as actual people.

But it's not all the doing of Kohlberg. Were the Oscars coming up, I could see Simmons garnering a nomination for Best Actor. It's easily the best work he's done, and he's been in scads of things. Those of you with HBO will recognize him from Oz; you might also remember him from Juno and the Spider-Man films. The man is a gifted supporting actor. Here, he turns in an astounding, honest, and brave performance that won't leave your tear ducts dry for very long. This isn't just a three-hankie movie, it's an entire gross of Kleenex boxes. But like I alluded earlier, it's also not a soap opera that simply toys with your emotions. It's sincere and real and just magnificent.

"Music elicits measurable responses in the brain's activity" After Henry (Simmons) has a fight with his son Gabriel (Pucci), he decides that home is no longer for him and leaves. 20 years later Gabriel is found with a brain tumor that eliminates long term memory. After thinking he is still in the sixties his parents struggle to find a way to communicate with him. When a therapist discovers that music is the answer his parents have to adjust their lives to get their son back. This is an amazing movie. Much like "Barney's Version" and "Trust", this is a movie that didn't get the advertising that this deserved and will not be seen by the audience it should have. An extremely touching movie that deals with a strained father and son relationship, and the struggle to reconnect. There is not enough good things I can say about this movie. Much like "Trust" this is a movie that has the possibility of helping people and can become much more then just a movie. I cannot recommend this enough, do yourself a favor and watch this movie. You will be moved to tears and be left with an absolutely satisfying feeling. Why can't more movies be this way? Overall, one of the best movies in the last 10 years, and next to "Barney's Version" the best movie of the year. I easily give it an A+.

Would I watch again? - Absolutely.

*Also try - Barney's Version & Mr. Holland's Opus

Having music as a theme to the movie and having a look at the average user ratings I was very excited to watch this movie.

When I started watching this film I got a feeling that its one of those slow emotional films where one guy is a victim to some illness & the whole story is about his family whining for his troubles.

But, this feeling was very short. As the movie progressed, I could link the father-son character with my life. Even my dad & I face the similar kind of differences in opinion and taste as it has been portrayed in the movie.

The setting is beautiful & has been magnificently portrayed J.K.Simmons & Lou Taylor Pucci..

Very rarely do I rate a movie 10/10. I was thinking of giving it a nine by the time the movie was going to end as irrespective of the ending it was a very beautiful movie.

The extra one point is courtesy the ending. Tears never stopped while I watched the ending.

This movie has taught me to respect the differences that my father & have & perhaps much more than that can be explained in words...

The Music Never Stopped!!!

In 1986, the conservative 65 year-old mechanical engineer Henry Sawyer (J.K. Simmons) and his wife, the housewife Helen Sawyer (Cara Seymour), are informed that their estranged son Gabriel Sawyer (Lou Taylor Pucci) has a brain tumor by Dr. Biscow (Scott Adsit) and they learn that that he is incapable to form new memories. Gabriel left home years ago when his father had an argument with him because he left the college night to unsuccessfully try to watch a Grateful Dead gig with his girlfriend Tamara (Tammy Blanchard) and his best friend Mark Ferris (Josh Segarra) and now he is completely disconnected from the world. Henry is compulsively retired by his chief and Helen decides to work to have money to pay Gabriel's treatment. Henry researches but the problem of his son and finds some good results through music therapy and he seeks out Professor Dianne Daley (Julia Ormond). Soon she discovers that the music from the late 60's and 70's, especially the Grateful Dead, is the key to connect Gabriel to the world. The reluctant Henry, who is also a music lover for from an older period, decides to learn these songs to bond with Gabriel. When a radio broadcasts a contest where the winner will receive a ticket for a sold-out Grateful Dead concert, he insistently tries to contact the radio to get the tickets.

"The Music Never Stopped" is a film based on a touching and beautiful tale of father-son connection through music. The first point to call the attention are the outstanding performances of J.K. Simmons, maybe in his best work, and the practically unknown Lou Taylor Pucci. The magnificent soundtrack is also amazing as well the discussion about bands from the 60 's and 70's and Grateful Dead. The film is a perfect combination of drama, funny moments and music. Any sensible fan of the music from the foregoing period will certainly adore this great little unknown movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Música Nunca Parou" ("The Music Never Stopped")

This movie moved a little slow, however, it was really quite touching.

This movie is about a family whose son runs away and they find him 20 years later but he suffers from a brain tumor that has left him with no short-term memory. The father reconnects with his son through music.

The family history, the story, and the reconnection between the father and son is really quite moving. The acting is believable, which helps pull you into the story, and makes you care. This is not an exciting drama, but it is interesting enough that you want to hear the story.

Despite its slow nature, I still enjoyed this movie. It was heart felt and I can appreciate that.

The Music Never Stopped is a story about generational conflict disguised as a medical drama. While they may exist I cannot recall a film that more accurately displays the harm the generation gap caused the parents and children of the Vietnam War era.

The film starts slow. A man stays sitting in his living room chair as a phone rings from the kitchen wall. The wife enters the home and sweeps in to pick it up. This scene represents the film. A father refusing to listen to his son, ignoring him. This is his inner conflict. He learns that his son has memory loss from a tumor, this is his external conflict.

If you watch this film and see it from the sons perspective, much of its value will be missed. This is not a film about a man who losses his memory. It is a story about a father who must learn that in order to reconnect with his son he must put his inhibitions aside.

This film does well at accomplishing what it set out to do. You know Henry, the father, is a stubborn music enthusiast. It is his biggest pleasure. I find that it was deeply felt when he decided to change his perspective in accepting his sons music in order to connect with him, making up for lost time.

I feel that this should be more successful that it is. It is a good story and def. a heart warming one that beats out many others who attempt to do the same thing.

Like the father and son in this music I too share the love of music that was bequeathed to me by my father. And not unlike Gabriel (the son) and Henry (the father) in "The Music Never Stopped", I and my father were from two very different generations as my father was 45 when I was born. Still there was a very tangible connection we both shared that goes on till this very day whenever I indulge daily in that love. But, how powerful is music? Can it bridge bigger things it has no right to? Absolutely! The power of something that stirs the emotions inside can never be diminished and therein lays the power that so few experiences in life bring.

With that as "rock" (pun definitely intended) solid premise "The Music Never Stops" weaves an utterly heartwarming story told expertly to ring true; it doesn't condescend into trite maudlin territory. It's a beautiful piece of work about a "lost" son, who with catastrophic loss of memory due to a brain tumor who is able to reconnect for periods of time with his dad when they share the magic of music embedded in his psyche. The father's love of his son allows him to transcend the generational difference as he becomes a "Deadhead". Much can be read into what occurs in the story and each viewer will have their own moments of the soul stirring emotions bound by a certain soundtrack. There is a great universal truth here and it is presented with economy which serves to elevate this as, perhaps, one of the best independent films of this year (2011), or any other for that matter.

See this movie because it deserves your attention. You will see a tour De force by much beloved comedic character actor J.K. Simmons; witness him as you've never imagined him. I have total respect for this man after seeing his light touch bring the father, Henry, to life. Combine that with the amazingly nuanced and deft acting of Lou Taylor Pucci in a difficult role exposing the brittle nature of mental illness and alienation of the son Gabriel. What you get is pure synergism of these two great performances in a sparse but highly moving script. I can't give higher praise except that the music used was some of the best that we will ever witness. Highly recommended!

The story reveals an important fact: the relationship between music and the brain. More precisely, the fact that in our brain there exists a domain of memories connected to music, i.e, memories of many subjects (including music) which can be accessed through music and not only through words and/or concepts (relationships). Gabriel lost part of his brain because of a tumor and is not able to interact with people because his brain fails to make the necessary connections to understand what people expect from him. Yet, hearing music, he succeeds to retrieve many of his memories related to the music he hears. The part of the story which hard to believe is how much Gabriel's father was narrow minded (considering that they were living in New York) and the fact that after Gabriel quit his family house, his parents made no attempt to bring him back home, no matter where he would have gone. I would never do this with any one of my children. Any way, the last scenes - when the father succeeds to connect strongly to his son via music - are very moving because it's a kind of resurrection for both. The film is good, the actors competent, and it made me weep at the end. It deserves to be seen for sure.

I usually consider myself a tough guy and people who know me know how thick my emotional wall can be, but considering how this movie is centered around a family who are reconnecting after 20 odd years and all the complex dynamics that it entails, the scenes that brought me tears were caused from pity. Its a drama movie, so expect lots of drama.

Regardless of the budget of the movie, the story line was enjoyable and so was the acting between the father and son. Flashbacks from the present to the 50s and 60s are introduced at the early stages of the movie to make sense of the present.

There are intermittent moments of high drama throughout the movie, but the ending scene is where drama reaches its climax.

This is a good film about neuroscience and music, father and son relationships, and commitment, based on Oliver Sachs' book.

The plot is based on the true story of Gabriel Sawyer, who has a tumor that destroys his hippocampus meaning that new memories are impossible. However, when music plays he remembers his life 20 years before.

This is evocative, nostalgic, and has a warmth and charm to it that you would be hard-pressed not to like. It is a simple, small, film that carries its message well - and for those who love 60s music you do get a chance to sing along to some great song, even Desolation Row...

The relationships are at the core of this and JK Simmonds is great as the father who is struggling to understand, and Lou Taylor Pucci seems to enjoy the challenge and conviction his part demands.

All in all, this is an interesting film, and the soundtrack is awesome....

this one is the best movie i saw in the last 2 years or so.

thanks god my girlfriend wasn't here to see me cry. all in this movie is great:the characters, the story, the interpretation, even the bitter sweet ending. i usually don't tend to express my opinion towards a movie but this one made me share the way i felt about it with others. so, if you really want to see a touching movie, one which makes you proud for being a gods creation capable of such feelings you should watch it.

p.s. 1.despite my numerous references to "God" i'm not a religious people at all 2. don't forget the napkins

Wow, how could I have missed this movie's release at the theaters? I just found the "Music Never Stopped" on Redbox and thought I would rent it, and it is such a heart warming movie, that I put in the category of, "Forrest Gump", which is one of my favorite all time movies.

What I really enjoyed about the movie is how a father who had a fall out with his only son 20 years prior over the 1960's rock and roll music he listened too and so loves, is reunited when his son has surgery to remove a tumor, and loses his memory.

His father soon learns that music allows his son to bring back memories, and he soon learns why his son loves music by artists, Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead and Buffalo Springfield, by actually taking the time to listen to the lyrics, and his son on the events that took place that inspired music artists to write such songs.

Glad i took time to watch this, its these gems that make you wanna try other movies that you might haven't heard of.

J.K. Simmons does a great performance as the dad, reluctantly getting to know his son again after all the years that gone by and some misunderstandings in how they actually fell apart.

Have your hanger chief ready, a little tear will fall if you have any empathy.

I would certainly recommend it and its a nice trip down memory lane with a lot of top notch music from the hippie days and also before that.

I saw myself in the character of Henry Sawyer - which was superbly acted. The pinnacle of J.K. Simmons career. But don't watch it for that reason. Watch it if you've ever struggled to understand your son or let your child make their own mistakes. Or if you've ever had a child with a life- changing accident or disease. Or if you were that child. Or a child who struggled with their parents. OR if you've stood by while your husband improperly lashed out as his children. Or if you were that husband and you wish you weren't. I was. The movie made me cry. When I think about it, I'm still moved to tears by several scenes. No movie ever had that kind of an impact on me - the next two are probably Fireproof and Forest Gump. I pray this movie will help me change.

Don't push them away. Don't push away this move. Push play!

In a way our memories and our experiences play a part in who we are. Thus people, objects or even music can bring back those memories that gave us those times that we can sometimes reminisce about. This is one of those very subtle and mellow movie that progresses very slowly. But if your one of those audiences that has the patience to hold on. There is a chance you might enjoy and take away something from this film. I have to admit some parts seemed a bit tedious and slow for me. And maybe even kind of boring. But after sitting through this heartfelt story, I didn't regret the experience. It's one of the good low budget indie films out there. Anyone who has a bit of patience and had a bond between parents or a loved one can probably relate with some areas of this film. It's about connection and past events through music and how it can play a factor in putting together a broken bond. I probably won't be seeing this one again. But for a first time through, it's a film that will probably stick with some audiences for quite a while. J.K. Simmons was good and believable playing the uptight father of the family that builds a bigger perspective as the story progresses.

7.7/10

Love J.K Simmons, loved 'Awakenings'......mix the two and I thought 'yeah, this might just be worth a watch'. Worth a watch it certainly is but alas just like Gabes beard, the film is thin, patchy and could have looked a good bit better with just a little more detailing.

JK is as always, a pleasant watch and a likable character. His support in the form of Cara Seymour was excellent & Lou Pucci did his best with a think script and thin beard. I could go on and on about that f*cking beard but shall neglect to other than to say WHY IN THE NAME OF GOD!!! It was a cliché too far and unrequired!....

Would I recommend this film, yes but only if Awakenings wasn't available. That said this film touches on a more social connection than Awakenings and one which many father of lost teenage boys could maybe learn something from. Heck we could all learn something from this film........don't judge other peoples likes against your own as nobody will win!

7/10 (and a generous 7/10)

I've been a fan of J.K. Simmons for as along as I can remember. I find him especially funny in some movies. He's what drew me to this movie. I found this movie to be quite enjoyable. The acting in this movie is quite good, and the music played in it is great! The story shows how much music can make a difference in someone's life. The medical side of the story is relatively muted, and it's really about a father connecting with his son. There are flashbacks early on in the film, and it's a little back and forth, showing the 60's and the present, but then the film stabilizes and stays in the present, which is easier to follow. I feel like the cast were picked wonderfully, and you really believe these people in their roles. I really liked the mother, who went through a range of emotions, and became stronger. This is a wonderful film, showing a building relationship that is wonderful to witness. When it was over, I wanted to watch more. Highly recommended!

The music of the 60s. The father-son relationship. The relationship between music and memory recall. As one growing up in the 1960s, this film connected with me big time. The hippie counterculture. The anti-Vietnam War movement. The generation gap. I thought the actors were superb, not only for their dialogs, but for their facial expressions. Funny, watching the movie, I kept having memory flashbacks of my own every time they played CC&R, Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, etc. I left the movie realizing that "The Music Never DID Stop" for me. Only one criticism of the film. I had no recollection of a few of the songs that were used. I went with a friend, who also could not remember ever hearing the same tunes. So, there might have been a better selection of 60s songs than were used in the film...top 10 tunes instead of B sides, esp. anti-war songs.