A fairly tame but pleasant comedy about a non-believer who becomes the center point of what appear to be a series of miracles at a Catholic Scottish school.
To me, the real miracles in this movie was the excellent singing by the kids in Mirren's Music class, but also how technologically advanced the keyboard classes were. Mirren's Music class is miraculous in every way, i.e. Totally unrealistic.
What lead me to this otherwise very obscure film (that absolutely nobody ever mentions anywhere and of which I hadn't heard of even back in the 80s) was Helen Mirren's involvement in it. Because I hadn't seen much of her in many years I decided to give this a go, what with the premise being fairly solid as well.
(Helen or no Helen, there's no way I'm picking a film with her that has a garbage premise or is some mindless thriller, a stupid bio, or annoying "social commentary" turkey. She's been one of my favourite actresses since I was a teen, being pretty much the most stunning-looking thespian in the business for many years, but there's no actress that will get me to watch anything: the premise needs to be at least reasonably interesting.)
What bugs me are some confusing and muddled plot points.
I don't understand why Conti does the whole traffic-lights stunt, which makes him out to be a psycho or at least a very loose cannon, basically a lunatic. Besides, it seems out of his character. Why did he do it with Mirren in the vehicle? Why did he do it at all? If he had wanted to test his "powers" of "miraclizing" he would have done so much LATER in the script, when he started turning into a believer i.e. When he started having doubts. Besides, he - as this highly upright and selfless character - would have NEVER endangered Mirren's life that way, especially not at an early stage in the game while he was still a non-believer hence unlikely to test his luck in such a drastic and dangerous way. Nor was Mirren's reaction to surviving this tasteless stunt realistic. She half-smiles instead of slugging him in the face: that was out of character too, plus illogical.
I also fail to understand the ending. Conti rushes to the train station, to do what? Reconcile with Mirren? He didn't have a major tiff with her at all, so there was no need for that grand kiss at the station, as if something between them was settled. Were they going to visit Ewan, the "miracle student"? If so, for what purpose? The writer made it out to seem that Ewan was locked away in some attic or something.
I didn't understand the uber-aggressive reaction of the hospital staff toward Conti's visiting the injured pupil. They shoved him away from the premises as if he were some random hobo who tried to murder the kid. Overkill scene. Too dramatic for drama's sake.
There are all these bits and pieces in the script that appear somewhat off, odd, illogical. I mean, I know this is set in Scotland, but still...
To me, the real miracles in this movie was the excellent singing by the kids in Mirren's Music class, but also how technologically advanced the keyboard classes were. Mirren's Music class is miraculous in every way, i.e. Totally unrealistic.
What lead me to this otherwise very obscure film (that absolutely nobody ever mentions anywhere and of which I hadn't heard of even back in the 80s) was Helen Mirren's involvement in it. Because I hadn't seen much of her in many years I decided to give this a go, what with the premise being fairly solid as well.
(Helen or no Helen, there's no way I'm picking a film with her that has a garbage premise or is some mindless thriller, a stupid bio, or annoying "social commentary" turkey. She's been one of my favourite actresses since I was a teen, being pretty much the most stunning-looking thespian in the business for many years, but there's no actress that will get me to watch anything: the premise needs to be at least reasonably interesting.)
What bugs me are some confusing and muddled plot points.
I don't understand why Conti does the whole traffic-lights stunt, which makes him out to be a psycho or at least a very loose cannon, basically a lunatic. Besides, it seems out of his character. Why did he do it with Mirren in the vehicle? Why did he do it at all? If he had wanted to test his "powers" of "miraclizing" he would have done so much LATER in the script, when he started turning into a believer i.e. When he started having doubts. Besides, he - as this highly upright and selfless character - would have NEVER endangered Mirren's life that way, especially not at an early stage in the game while he was still a non-believer hence unlikely to test his luck in such a drastic and dangerous way. Nor was Mirren's reaction to surviving this tasteless stunt realistic. She half-smiles instead of slugging him in the face: that was out of character too, plus illogical.
I also fail to understand the ending. Conti rushes to the train station, to do what? Reconcile with Mirren? He didn't have a major tiff with her at all, so there was no need for that grand kiss at the station, as if something between them was settled. Were they going to visit Ewan, the "miracle student"? If so, for what purpose? The writer made it out to seem that Ewan was locked away in some attic or something.
I didn't understand the uber-aggressive reaction of the hospital staff toward Conti's visiting the injured pupil. They shoved him away from the premises as if he were some random hobo who tried to murder the kid. Overkill scene. Too dramatic for drama's sake.
There are all these bits and pieces in the script that appear somewhat off, odd, illogical. I mean, I know this is set in Scotland, but still...