TxMike My wife and I watched this movie on Amazon streaming. While it appears to be a fictional story the science of using music to activate regions of the brain is real.Gabriel is born into a typical 1940s/1950s family with post-WW2 values. Work hard, study hard, eat dinner together, do family things. But Gabriel didn't fit easily into this mold, in fact he was more interested in music, like the group "The Grateful Dead". It blew up one evening in the late 1960s and Gabriel left home, just before he finished high school and pretty much lost contact with his family.Flash to the late mid 1980s and the family gets a call, Gabriel is hospitalized, turns out he has a very large, slow-growing benign tumor in his brain. Surgery is successful but Gabriel is different, he can't really carry on a conversation and can't seem to form new memories.A therapist gets involved and uses music, specifically the music that Gabriel identified with over the years, like The Dead, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and each time as the music starts Gabriel becomes animated, he carries on intelligent conversations, it is as if the music activates deep memories in his brain. And ultimately the family, especially his dad, is able to reconnect with him through the music which never stopped.Really good movie but a bit sad in certain scenes. Good acting from the principals, J.K. Simmons as dad, British actress Cara Seymour as the mom, and Pucci Lou as Gabriel.

josemedeirosforsenate13 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.

retro75 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)

AudioFileZ 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!