'Power Ballad' Review: A Crowd-Pleasing Charmer
After a three year absence, writer/director John Carney returns with his latest film Power Ballad. Though this music film may not be pitch perfect, it strikes a lot of the right chords.
‘Power Ballad’ centers on a middle-aged wedding singer named Rick (Paul Rudd) who crosses paths with a former boy band member named Danny (Nick Jonas) at one of his gigs in Ireland. After a blissful night of jamming and getting to know one another, Rick learns months later that the song he shared with Danny that night has been turned into a pop sensation without his approval, leading him to attempt to confront the star to get the recognition he feels he rightfully deserves.
If there’s one thing John Carney knows how to do all too well, it’s making films about music and this certainly isn’t an exception. Enlisting the talents of Rudd and Jonas was inspired, the two exuding palpable chemistry and a comfortability with each other that makes their scenes shine throughout, the two always in perfect harmony. Rudd has wonderfully showcased his genre versatility in recent years and that is still on full display here. While he’s always a dependable comedic force, the gravitas and emotional nuance he’s able to imbue Rick with makes him a deeply compelling character, especially when his life begins to tear apart at the seams as his relationships with his friends and family are put to the test.
Jonas is also excellent here, wielding his pop star magnetism like a not so secret weapon. On paper, Danny could easily become a nasty caricature, but in Jonas’ hands, the character is far more than just a song thief. The film effectively explores how he’s trying to carve his own path and step out of the shadow of his former pop group, struggling to find his own identity amongst the budding conflict at the film’s core. Jonas particularly excels when Danny and Rick have their inevitable confrontation, subtly showing the cracks in his well-groomed facade. Carney continues to prove his prowess in presenting audiences with incredibly likable, but notably flawed characters, unafraid to show their ugly sides and tackle darker material.
The film also has the winning combination of humor, heart, and very catchy music, a Carney staple. The song that turns these would-be friends into enemies is an extremely catchy earworm that will linger for audiences long after the credits begin to roll. The music sequences in particular also ooze a terrific energy and joy, Carney operating in his element with passion and precision. The way the film explores the dichotomy between Rick’s emotional attachment to his music and Danny’s cold and sterile approach to it is highly compelling, not only conveying why the song becomes such a hit, but how the latter’s perception of why it does is heartbreakingly warped. The irony of Danny finally finding his own musical voice by using someone else’s is one of the film’s most potent strengths and avenues explored.
However, the film takes far too long to find its rhythm and stay on beat. Carney’s latest doesn’t seem to know for sure whether it aspires to be a hard hitting dramedy or a crowd-pleasing music film, unable to commit to either, resulting in a heavily apparent identity crisis that plagues the storytelling throughout. Though the film has plenty of crowd-pleasing moments, it unfortunately doesn’t possess the same charm of Carney’s previous efforts like ‘Sing Street’ and ‘Begin Again’. The humor is disappointingly hit or miss with only a handful of genuinely funny comedic bullseyes. The pacing is also an issue, the film never finding the right narrative propulsion, hindered by sluggish pit stops that don’t add anything crucial or compelling to the central story.
‘Power Ballad’ may not be Carney’s best film to date, but it still offers plenty of entertainment value for fans and non-fans alike. The two dynamic central performances coupled with Carney’s singular Irish charm and endearing passion for music successfully keeps the film’s head above water. If his latest solidifies anything, it’s that if Carney wants to keep making films about music for the rest of his career, there will be plenty who will be happily planted in the front row.