By Glenn Kay, For the Sun
Rating: 3.5 out of 4
Running Time: 99 minutes
This feature from Lionsgate opened exclusively in theaters on Friday, June 5.
Irish writer/producer/director John Carney has been making films in various genres for some time, but is perhaps most well-known for his tales about musicians. Most notably, this includes the 2007 Oscar-nominated Once, and the wonderful Sing Street, a period comedy about a group of inner-city Dublin teens forming a rock band. The filmmaker’s latest is Power Ballad, which features a famous name or two in the cast and a slightly grander story, but is still a character study focused on two artists with careers that have gone in different directions, and an unexpected complication that occurs after they meet by chance.
Rick Power (Paul Rudd) is a guitarist and singer in a Dublin-based wedding band called The Bride and Groove. As a young artist in the 1980s, he had a minor-charting tune with his group, but quit after his girlfriend Rachel (Marcella Plunkett) became pregnant. Years later, he plays chart-topping covers at various marriage ceremonies, while working on his own compositions at home.
During one show, friend of the groom and ex-boy band star Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas) joins the group on stage. Afterwards, he and Power hang out. They get drunk and share some of their song ideas. Six months later, Power hears Wilson performing his latest hit, which happens to be a song he played for the famous artist. The protagonist tries to get a hold of Wilson to find out what happened, but is threatened with legal action by Wilson’s agent, Mac (Jack Reynor). Even worse, he can’t find a copy of the tune. Rachel and daughter Aja (Beth Fallon) are skeptical of his claims, as are Power’s own bandmates.
The approach is low-key, with early sections of the film displaying the at times tiring life of a wedding band, and the frustrations of an artist who feels like he’s going through the motions (to the point where those around him aren’t even listening to his own musical creations). These bits are played for chuckles and the lead is good-natured about it, but there is a hint of bittersweetness about the situation.
It’s also fun to watch the thrill and excitement that Power experiences after making a connection with a successful musician. While the scenes between the two are amusing, they aren’t played in a broad, comedic manner. And thanks to the work of the talented leads, the jam session doesn’t feel contrived, instead making for a more relatable and believable scenario than one might anticipate as the two characters complaining about songwriting troubles, while listening to each other’s ideas, and incorporating suggestions into their work.
Admittedly, there wouldn’t be much of a movie if conflict didn’t arise and it does, although it doesn’t necessarily play out as one would expect in a comedy. This is another plus, as humor leads to dramatic tension in Power’s family life and with the band as the hit song continues to invade his life, leading to outbursts. In fact, all of the characters in the story say things in frustration that one wouldn’t necessarily see in a Hollywood film. But for those concerned that the film might become too serious, there are plenty of laughs, courtesy of the protagonist’s relationship with bandmate Sandy (Peter MacDonald), who decides to try and help him confront the famous, seemingly untouchable performer.
It all climaxes with some observations about the different kinds of pressure artists face, as well as meanings and unexpected power that can be attributed to a seemingly simple song. Additionally, the film does an excellent job of revealing the unexpected sources of inspiration for an iconic tune. While the finale, as written, could have easily come across as overly sentimental, these final revelations are sensitively handled in such a way that they feel charming rather than forced.
In the end, Power Ballad is a quiet but memorable melody that grows on viewers as it progresses and deals with the trials of artists and the problems sometimes faced when creating music. The tune sticks with you long after the credits roll and marks another strong, music-themed effort from the moviemaker.
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