Music from Another Room (1998) User Reviews (84)

Great Screenplay-Weak Lead Performances

[aimless-46 · 6/10 · 16 January 2006]

"Music From Another Room" is certainly recommended viewing, for what it is and despite what it fails to be. "Writer" Charlie Peters constructed as good a screenplay as you will ever find in the "straight" romantic genre. Unfortunately there is a failure in the execution as "director" Charlie Peters drops the ball in his casting decisions and in his efforts to extract the necessary performances from the two leads, Jude Law (Danny) and Gretchen Mol (Anna). And solid efforts from the supporting cast are not enough to make up for these key deficiencies.

Peters' story was inspired by Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina". It is Danny's fate, shortly after arriving in town, to stumble across Grace Swan (Brenda Blethyn) and her family who he has not seen since he was five. "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way". At age five he had assisted his physician father in delivering daughter Anna (like the book the family's three daughters are named Anna, Karen, and Nina). Seconds after Anna's birth, 5 year-old Danny had vowed that they would one day be married. But there is no indication in the screenplay that the grown-up Danny has come to town for this purpose, on the contrary he came to be with another woman who he has fallen in love with but who dumps him and moves away shortly after his arrival.

Peters should get credit for a great title, as "Music From Another Room" is a metaphor Danny uses to illustrate how he has felt in the past when he was in love. The idea being that love is like listening to a favorite song playing in the distance and coming back on the same beat of the song when it has been periodically drowned out by closer noises.

He should also get credit for the originality of the two-headed coin flip sequence; which sets up the film's resolution according to the flip of a regular coin. The irony being the characters' ability to flip this device of randomness/destiny into an exercise of their free will.

Although not a comedy, the film is has a lot of charm and some funny moments. Even with its flaws it is better than average but this does leave you regretting that Peters did not recognize his limitations as a director and bring in someone who could have better executed the ambitious vision of his screenplay.

The problem is that the quirky and original elements, which make the screenplay so good, require exceptional performances from the lead characters who must non-verbally convey a whole lot of character motivation as well as several moments of profound revelation. For "actors" up to this challenge (and for a skilled director), the roles offer a wonderful "acting for the camera" opportunity. For Law, Mol, and Peters it is way too much to ask and the result is strained and unconvincing. Which means that the mixes of sadness and joy, fate and free will, ignorance and revelation never achieve the dimensionality they should have. The failure to fill in the blanks with behavioral information combined with elements that were deleted in the editing process introduces an element of incoherence that ultimate undermines an excellent story.

Law (who has certainly demonstrated acting ability in most of his films)has stated that he regrets doing "Music From Another Room" and that he let himself be talked into the part. This may actually be true as he certainly gives very little of himself to the performance. The interesting thing is that the part actually has more potential than roles he has chosen and into which he has thrown a lot of energy.

Brenda Blethyn and Jane Adams turn in great performances and one can only wish that Adams and Mol had traded parts.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Well-done romantic comedy with an excellent performance from Jude Law

[Julia Rose · 7/10 · 28 October 1999]

"Music from Another Room" is a light-hearted romantic comedy about a persistent chap with his heart set on one woman. Jude Law's engaging performance as the lovestruck Danny itself makes the film worth seeing. Jennifer Tilly (Anna's blind sister, Nina), Vincent Laresca (Jesus, Anna's boyfriend/husband), Martha Plimpton (Karen, Anna's feminist sister), Jane Adams (Anna's gun-toting sister in law) also deliver wonderful performances in their offbeat supporting roles. The only significant error is in casting Gretchen Mol as Danny's Anna, because Mol never allows us to understand why Danny or any man should bother with the bland and one-dimensional Anna. Mol's Anna is unlikeable from beginning to the end of the film and unfortunately never seems to be worthy of Danny's admiration.

Good stuff for sentimentalists

[=G= · 7/10 · 23 November 2003]

"Music From Another Room" is a romantic comedy with the sweetly sentimental flavor of a Hallmark or Disney production mixed with the occasional reality check to keep the goo from getting too thick. Sporting a fine cast, this dreamy film about a motley family and birth and death and love offers a fun scene to scene linear flow, keeps the sentimentality in check, builds its predictable love story, and manages several subplots all the while holding interest and easing a somewhat difficult buy-in resulting in a good all around romantic flick. Not for cynics, "Music From Another Room" will play best with sentimentalists. (B)

A real gem of a film

[pct · 4 October 1998]

Just like the other comment above, I had never heard of this film before but saw it (twice!) on the in-flight entertainment of a long flight back from down under. The overall feeling of the film is a bit like a condensed John Irving novel (Hotel New Hampshire): a sprawling storyline concerning an eccentric family with delightful sub-plots involving the births, deaths and loves of the various members. But because the film works on a much smaller scale than a huge doorstop novel, the characters are developed very economically in the film. However, thanks to an absolutely inspired bit of casting, with the likes of Jeniffer Tilly and Brenda Blethyn as the dying mother, the film works extremely well. And of course the chemistry between the two leads, Jude Law and Gretchen Mol, is undeniable and provides much of the appeal of the film. An absolute must see love story which skips beautifully over the potential cliches of the genre, and will have you laughing and crying in equal measures.

I loved it. I wish it let me love it more.

[shushens · 7/10 · 22 February 2008]

When I check my voting history, I see I have voted for movies rather generously. But I never actually gagged to give a movie a 9 and felt inhibited not to go beyond 7. I wish this movie let me love it a little bit more.

The story is very simple and popular. Actually, in my country, at least a dozen movies are made every decade on a plot like this one. So, it's not the catchy story or an end twist that people love these kinda movies for. So, when you already know what is gonna happen and how, complete attention falls on things like cinematography and compelling conversations.

This movie has wonderful moments. Well, with Jude Law, that is no surprise. I wanted to see this movie for Gretchen Mol. She is spontaneous, but not brilliant. The thing is, for this movie, she did not have to be. But when a sensitive viewer is watching the film, certain things should be left unsaid for his mind to synthesize and derive. If everything is discussed on a round table (not literally), it becomes more educational and less charming. That is what is pulling this movie down. Movies like French Kiss or Addicted to Love never surprised any viewer with a climax. But those films took their breaths away no doubt. I wish this one was a little more subtle and metaphoric. That way, I would not have to settle for a 7.

Though there is no surprise in the end, the end is very beautiful. Feels like it's filmed by some different director than the one who filmed the educational speeches. But anyway, this is a lovely film to see. You might find it very good, or just good, depending on how forgiving you are in real life. There is no way you are gonna regret spending your good money on it. I recommend it. Who am I to recommend? You don't wanna know.

Unreality at it's highest point

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 7 October 2001]

I love this kind of film: funny, touching, and oh, so romantic. And so totally out of touch with the real world. But so what? It's a movie....and a pretty good one at that. Perhaps if I watched this film enough I, too, would find a small portion of passion in my life. Perhaps, but most likely, I would remain a hopeless cynic and merely murmur, "ah, love, so romantic, so wonderful, so utterly unattainable".

OK for the gals

[ctomvelu-1 · 6/10 · 9 August 2008]

Rail-thin, greasy-haired Jude Law falls for rail-thin, bizarrely-coiffed and made up Gretchen Mol in this uneven romantic comedy about a guy down on his luck who meets a gal from an eccentric family -- and decides he's going to marry her. He actually first meets her when she is born, but then doesn't meet her again until 25 years later. The only thing standing in his way is her highly successful, very handsome and unflappable fiancé, played by character actor Jon Tenney. Her mom is played by Brenda Blehtyn, but this is not a Bletheyn movie and she is relegated to intermittent appearances. She also has a younger sister (Jen Tilly) who has been blind most of her life and hasn't been out of the house in a good long while. There are several other quirky family members lurking about, including a married brother with an eye for the ladies (played by Jeremy Piven), although none of these folks get enough screen time to make much of an impression. The editing or perhaps the script itself leaves something to be desired. And unfortunately, there is absolutely no chemistry between Law and Mol. None. Zip. Zilch. This quasi-chick flick is recommended for undiscriminating female viewers only.

Flawed and incoherent

[pbn · 3/10 · 30 April 2003]

"Music From Another Room" is an interesting title. It doesn't make any sense until you see the film in which the phrase is part of a slightly silly metaphor about the nature of love. However, the title actually made me watch the film, along with the promise of well-known actors Jude Law, Jennifer Tilly and Brenda Blethyn.

The film is funny at times and lovable in the way we expect from romantic comedies - the opening scenes of young Danny's participation in a baby's birth is a good example, full of sweetness and humanity from Brenda Blethyn and young actor Cory Buck.

But this is basically not a very good film. The major problem is in the directing and the editing which are without elegance and with plenty of flaws. Too many parts of the film are unfunny. A large part of the latter half of the film is strained and repetitive. The intended mixture of sadness and joy is handled too unoriginally to be anything but indecision.

On top, the storyline is incoherent: Danny's immediate crush on a girl he hasn't seen since her birth is not backed by anything other than Gretchen Mol's nice, but perhaps rather bland appearance. For the most part, the character is described as a closed and slightly dull personality, and Mol plays it with a stiffness to match.

Jude Law is a splendid talent but his part much too romanticized and fundamentally uninteresting. Jennifer Tilly plays a blind girl who is provoked into experiencing life more than she has; she is good, but not excellent. In the end my favorite actors here are Brenda Blethyn and Jane Adams, both in fairly small parts.

Amusing and well-acted

[Kim17 · 8/10 · 29 December 2000]

Music From Another Room is the story of Danny (Jude Law), returning to his US hometown after spending over 20 years in England with his father, who has now passed away. By coincidence, he runs into the Swan family, who his father and himself used to be acquainted with, and especially one of the daughters, the beautiful Anna (Gretchen Mol), catches his attention. Before Danny moved to England, he helped setting Anna to this world by removing the chord that was twisted around her neck during her birth, and at that point, he exclaimed a wish to marry her someday...

This is first of all a romantic comedy, with Danny's chase for Anna as the main plot, and quite a lot of interesting sub-plots and characters. It is most enjoyable, and in the end a real feel-good movie. The script is intelligent, and at times, extremely funny. Especially Danny's landlord, Mr. Klammer, has got some killer lines early on.

The acting is also excellent. Jude Law is his usual self, well-acting and beautiful, Brenda Blethyn can do no wrong on the screen, it seems, and Gretchen Mol shows that she is more than just a pretty face. But the real stand-out performance is Jennifer Tilly as the blind sister Nina...I'm really wondering when she's going to go get the recognition she obviously deserves... A great cast all together.

The film has a few flaws, the most notable being a rather predictable story, but excellent acting and witty writing more than make up for that. Overall, Music From Another Room is a highly recommendable romantic comedy, far better than most straight-on-video stuff.

Touching story

[BluePhoenix1122 · 7/10 · 2 October 2016]

Maybe a bit over the top romantic but I always enjoyed this movie, it is well acted and particularly from Brenda Bethyn and Jennifer Tilly, which I felt they were the true stars that glued this story together. Tilly's story seems to have somehow predominance over Gretchen Moll's and the latter lacks a bit of chemistry with Jude Law, but he gives his dreamer character justice. My favourite scene is when Grace's passes, she goes with such a bang! I only bought this movie because of its sound track, but I was pleasantly taken by it, I found myself watching it already several times with a nice piece of cake and a cup of tea in boring cold afternoons. Oscar worth? No, but still a nice story.

A Decent Story with Excessive Subplots Saved by some Good Acting

[gradyharp · 5/10 · 11 April 2006]

MUSIC FROM ANOTHER ROOM was written and directed by Charlie Peters: the film script would benefit from some judicious editing. Yet as a light love story it is fast moving despite diversions in the plot and in general gives some fine actors good screen time.

Danny (Jude Law) as a five-year-old lad assisted in the complicated birth of his friend Grace Swan's (Brenda Blethyn) child Anna (Gretchen Mol) and at that moment declared he would marry Anna someday. Twenty five years later Danny returns to Los Angeles from his home in England and encounters the mature Anna who is now engaged to Eric (Jon Tenney), falls in love, returns to the neighbor family of his childhood where Grace greets him with effusive warmth. The family is a dysfunctional one: Anna's sister Nina (Jennifer Tilly) is blind and dependent on Anna; brother Billy (Jeremy Piven) is married to suicidal Irene (Jane Adams); cynical feminist sister Karen (Martha Plimpton) is a man-eater; and the father cares for Grace as she is stricken with a terminal illness. Anna resists Danny, but Danny's influence on the family is like 'music from another room', and results in positive changes in each of the family members: Nina finds love with Jesus (Vincent Laresca), a kitchen worker who introduces Nina to dancing, love, and independence; Grace opens her longing for Anna to experience passion instead of just caring for everyone; and the concept of fate and love and passion is stirred vigorously.

Jude Law is his usual appealing self and makes his role credible. Jennifer Tilly does a fine job realizing Nina and her transformation, and Brenda Blethyn gives us a heady dose of Brenda Blethyn, which is always welcome. There are many problems with the film, the most significant one being Gretchen Mol who doesn't take her character beyond paper doll and certainly doesn't seem an adequate reason for Jude Law's unswerving attention. But as a film it works well enough and does provide some food for thought about the true meaning of love. Grady Harp

Where do I begin? So many good points...

[fgunther · 8/10 · 20 July 2002]

OK, if you're in the mood for a slightly nutty romantic comedy, go for this one.

The subplot, with Jennifer Tilly's performance as a shy, sheltered blind girl, reluctantly coming out of her shell, is totally luminous (sorry 'bout the cliche, but no other word fits), without resorting to the corniness of "A Patch of Blue." To me, it was actually a more affecting story than the main plotline.

The other actors do a great job, especially Brenda Blethyn (what do they teach in British acting class?), Martha Plimpton, and Jayne Adams. The story moves along nicely, and one event seems to flow naturally into another.

My guess is, if there had been an A-List Hollywood star on board, like, eg, Bruce Willis, this little film might have gotten quite a bit more recognition. But the chemistry would have been completely different.

Bring a date and some popcorn, and enjoy.

Danny and the Swans

[jotix100 · 6/10 · 12 December 2005]

Not having a clue what this film was about, and without better things to watch, the title hooked us, as well as the cast. Then it started and frankly, the film is a far fetched story with characters and situations that don't ring true. The basic problem of the film is the script that writer/director Charlie Peters created as the basis of the movie.

The acting is uneven at best. Jude Law plays Danny who is in love with Anna, the young woman he helped bring into the world. We just don't believe Danny, the tile man, will come back to pursue Anna, at all. Gretchen Mol is somehow stiff with Anna, who appears as though she doesn't care about Danny and does everything to get him away. We don't believe, for a moment that Nina, the blind sister, played by Jennifer Tilly is real. Not only that, but that she is lured out of her world when she meets the loving Latino waiter at that seedy club doesn't make sense, besides, even if she can't see, her family surely would have objected to the situation. Brenda Blethyn, Jeremy Priven, Martha Plimpton, and especially the wonderful Jane Adams, don't have a thing to do.

Most comments in this forum refer it as cute, we could only add, to watch it at your own risk.

An all-around bad movie

[oistrakh · 4/10 · 19 April 1999]

If a movie is going to have a lot of formulaic plot points, then it has to be executed perfectly in order to be enjoyable. "Never Been Kissed" is a good example of a movie which has a very conventional plot, but is thoroughly engaging because of good acting, well-placed comedic moments, and good directing. "Music From Another Room" has none of these, although it's obvious that it's trying for them. The movie starts out as if Jude Law's character will be focal point of the story, but actually it's Gretchen Mol's character that the story revolves around. There are the usual scenes where Mol's character is supposed to grow, but most of them do not work. I'd blame this mostly on the script. I found it awkward and unnatural. It is not always clear what is going on in the characters' minds from the things that they say, although there are plenty of close-ups of the various characters which, I suppose, are meant to make up for this. There is the classic final scene where Mol's character is supposed to realize that she should be with Law's character, but it doesn't resonate in any way. It doesn't ring true because it fails to tie together everything that has been going on in the movie up to that point. Overall, a disappointment, since I thought this movie had the necessary elements to be a good romantic drama/comedy.

True romance shines through

[mysticelena · 20 July 2000]

When I first began to watch this movie, I thought, OH BOY this is going to be BORING! The plot did not make a whole lot of sense and the characters seemed to be picked out of nowhere. There was nothing cohesive about this movie at ALL!! Then, Jesus appears (the character named Jesus that is) and the audience is drawn away from the main romance (which at this point seems to be beyond any hope) to a side romance that is truer to life than anything I had ever seen. The instant and simple bond between Nina and Jesus was almost electric. It was not sensual or erotic, it was sweet and endearing. It was how love SHOULD be. Its the kind of romance/friendship/love that everyone looks for. One that is selfless and kind. It is worth watching this movie JUST to see the Nina/Jesus romance.... This movie proves that side romances are indeed the best, because they restore our hope in what seems to be an impossible goal.

A whimsical, yet improbable romantic comedy

[Jay Zink · 6/10 · 4 March 2000]

An enjoyable, light-hearted romantic comedy, this movie suffers from its improbability. As in most films that deal with romance and finding that one "true" partner, the success of the movie often boils down to how believable it is. And while this movie strove to create that chemistry between the lead characters, it doesn't seem to quite make it. In fact, the romance that develops between Nina (the blind sister) and Jesus seems to be more likely and likable. Granted, this is truly subjective, and judging by the previous comments, others disagree. All-in-all, I'd recommend it for a rental, or better yet, on HBO. But had I shelled out the cash at the theater, I don't feel I would have gotten my money's worth.

Sweet Movie... horrid sound track

[Princess-Alice · 7/10 · 30 December 2001]

I watched "Music from another Room" on cable last night, having never heard of it before, and thus having no expectations. I was met with an almost tragic example of what could have been a really good, (if somewhat cliched), film, marred by being packaged for a teen audience.

The story is about a young man who meets a woman in who's birth he had assisted some 20 years earlier. This woman is the normal center of her bizarre family. The interplay between the family members, and other supporting cast, is quirky and original, and there is some dialogue dealing with love and death that is truly moving. The cast and writers do an impressive job of bringing out the personalities of a number of characters with minimal screen time, and manage to be both funny and touching. This should have been a sweet, worth while romantic comedy.

However, the whole experience was tainted for me by the rediculously prominent use of the oh-so-annoying song "Truly Madly Deeply". No, it wasn't just played quietly in the background, it completely underscored all of the romantic scenes between the two leads, and was played during the credits, it was very upsetting! Granted, the whole boy-band phenomenon was just beginning to come to the forefront of American music in 1998, but that doesn't make it any less bad. I found myself feeling really sorry for the cast and film makers, because the choice to use this song totally undermined all their good work, turning a potentially good film into a teen-flick, (that probably went over the heads of most of the young people to whom they were trying to sell it).

With marketing choices like that, it's no wonder this movie bombed... too bad!

Cute but ordinary

[Rumples · 6/10 · 2 May 1999]

I'd seen the shorts for this movie and wasn't going to bother but some friends rented it. Really no surprises here. The story is predictable and evolves in fairly traditional ways, boy helps deliver girl, boy moves away from girl, boy tries desperately (and sappily with that lame poem) to win girl back, finally they get together. The 'romance' is cute but nothing particularly endearing. Putting aside the gutter morals, Anna and Danny are clearly going to be together in the end. If you want something soft and lovey, this might be for you - it's certainly not too taxing. 6/10

Inaccurate birthing scene

[jkopel · 1/10 · 29 November 2005]

The pivotal birthing scene is absolutely ridiculous and inaccurate. I caught the last half of the movie on cable and liked it very much. Then I watched it from the beginning and the film was ruined for me. For the record, I am an obstetrician. Although a cord around the neck (nuchal cord) can cause fetal distress in labor it will not impede birth. A cord around the neck cannot be diagnosed by palpation until after the baby's head is delivered. Although a hand could be passed into the uterus to palpate such a cord it would be extremely painful to both the woman in labor and the person doing the exam. Such intra-uterine techniques were used prior to the twentieth century and required extreme strength on the part of the accoucher (birth attendant) and took a long time to complete and were fraught with danger. They are simply NOT used in modern day obstetrics.

Loved it

[LisaPattberg · 9/10 · 3 February 2002]

This is a wonderful and touching movie. It made me cry without being too mushy. Jude Law is a beautiful creature, and made this film worth my time, since I had never heard of it prior. If you love love, fate, and destiny, then you will love this movie.

A movie for those rainy days

[Filco · 7/10 · 7 November 1998]

This movie takes a work of fate, a really screwed up family, and an over-romantic guy, and puts them all together. Classifying the genre of the film is a bit difficult - it contains some light comedy, a lot of drama, as well as romance, yet I wouldn't really call it a romantic comedy. The film focuses on Danny, who re-enters the life of a family who he hasn't been involved in since he helped is father deliver a member of the family when he was five! One member is blind, another is depressed, and when Jesus comes into their lives, no one knows what's going on! The movie plot is surprisingly involved, and is quite well done. The story line was definitely an original. It's not a big screen film, as is just as good watched on video, but I still recommend it for those rainy days, when all you want is something light and entertaining to pass the time. Keep the tissues handy though! 7 out of 10.

Somewhere in this movie, there was a good story

[jenise-louise · 5/10 · 11 September 2005]

But it didn't come out right. It's as if they started out to make a serious film and then handed it over to a Wes Anderson type at the last minute. Plot lines that start in a good direction turn unexpectedly goofy. And some side plots that are meant to add humor--Martha Plimpton and her gun, for instance--are simply annoying.

Jude Law plays a scrawny bakery delivery boy who doesn't know when to shut up, and Gretchen Mol is the uptight sophisticate of her family who is already engaged to a man who is perfect for her. He drives the right car and bails her family out financially--she needs those things. So when he wants to buy her a book for her birthday instead of a flowered knit cap--well, Gretchen's character isn't the flowered knit cap type, and all the romantic lecturing of Jude's character about the hat vs. the book, however right in theory, doesn't change that. The movie never satisfactorily established why Gretchen would fall for Jude--in fact, the scene (SPOILER ALERT) where Gretchen and Jude get together, and then the next day she can hardly look at him--that was true to character. What happened later was not.

The best and most believable characters in the film were the mother, well acted by Brenda Blethyn, and the blind sister (Meg Tilly) and her boyfriend, Jesus. I loved Jesus! One last comment--whoever chose the music for this film should be shot--there's one really bad top-40 pop song that cues in more than once when Jude and Gretchen go for the kiss, and it cheapens the scenes.

Excellent

[inxsluvr · 10/10 · 8 January 2002]

I had heard great things about this movie. They were all right! Even my boyfriend ended up sitting down and watching it with me and he enjoyed it, too. Jude Law was excellent as was the supporting cast (especially Jennifer Tilly). I highly recommend this movie! Two thumbs up and a box of kleenex.

A romantic comedy of some good points

[ItsDramaQueen · 6/10 · 19 June 2001]

I saw this film last year on a cable network. The only reason I chose to watch it is the fact that I am a fan of Jude Law. This film is a very predictable romantic comedy, that can include a few laughs and a few tears. Some of the acting is a little over-dramatic, which may cause the viewer to stray away from the film. The target audience for this film is most likely to be women from the ages of 20-40, and young fans of Jude Law and Gretchen Mol. I highly recommend this film to those who happen to enjoy films about confusion in love and about how family can be involved in a person's decisions in life.

i feel robbed of 105 minutes

[sunshinedaydream · 3/10 · 14 April 2003]

I generally like to check out straight to video movies because i have found many gems and this is not one of them. This movie is poorly acted with the exceptions of Martha Plimpton Jane Adam, and Brenda Blethyn, they are the reasons that i gave this film a 3/10 as opposed to 1/10. What got me more than the acting because we all know that their are great films out there that contain sub-par acting, was the god awful editing of this film. The story is so jumpy that you never get a chance to really identify with all of the characters. Gretchen Mol is a classic beauty but not a good actress by any means.