Love It or Hate It... It's Like Classical Music

Rating: 10/10 (17 November 2013)

Chopin's Nocturne #6 in G-minor, Opus 15-3 was no accident!
The movie mirrors the piano piece played by the George Dzundza character, John. They are both ternary in form, following an A-B-A pattern. "The first and third parts (A) are musically identical, or very nearly so, while the second part (B) in some way provides a contrast with them." (source Wikipedia) This schema is also referred to as "song form" and, being in a minor key, tends to bring sad feelings to mind. The Chopin piece signals the beginning of the "B" phase of the story.
Despite a prevailing oddness seasoned with witty truisms, despite it's vignettes of violence and abuses of many forms and despite the characters being a kind of confederacy of the misaligned and broken, the final breath of the film is one of hope and healing. "At the cemetery" or "Let them work it out for themselves", Chopin's alternate title(s) of his piece both serve this screenplay in their own way.
The following is the first stanza of the closing song, "God Bless America", by Irving Berlin (which is in a major or "happy" key of C);
"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea, Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free, Let us all be grateful for a land so fair, As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer..."
It is interesting to note that the protective leader in the narrative may have been a virgin until he heeds Streep's "Linda" (means pretty?) request for physical comforting. DeNiro's "Michael" may not have been an "archangel", but the character does arch from being a cold, taker of life who scoffs at his friend "Stan" for his religious practice to a man who learns discrimination in his taking and/or embracing of it. His reluctance to celebrate with the church-going wedding party is finally replaced with a tear-less willingness to participate in the song-form of his life (and singing finale and toast). God bless American cinema!