‘Power Ballad’ Review: Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas Strike a Beautiful Chord in John Carney’s Crowd-Pleasing Musical Dramedy
📖 Full Retelling
A chance encounter between a washed-up wedding singer and a former boy bander changes the course of both their lives in the new feature by 'Once' and 'Sing Street' filmmaker John Carney.
Entity Intersection Graph
No entity connections available yet for this article.
Original Source
Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment When Rick ( Paul Rudd ), the protagonist of Power Ballad , plays one of his musical works in progress for his teenage daughter (Beth Fullon’s Aja), she practically rolls her eyes at how old-fashioned it is. Girls these days don’t want songs about falling in love anymore, she informs her clueless dad. Asked what they are interested in, she has a quick and snappy retort: “Revenge.” If Rick seems caught off guard, that’s only because he doesn’t realize his whole life is about to become defined by those two themes. But the magic of Power Ballad , from Once and Sing Street director John Carney , comes from its refusal to steer too blindly into either camp, instead forging its own path somewhere in between. Like the catchiest pop hits, it’s a little bit familiar, a little bit unexpected and utterly, thrillingly satisfying. Related Stories Movies 'Ready or Not 2' Was Almost Just a Post-Credits Scene After the Original Movies '#WhileBlack' Review: Timely Documentary Explores the Collision of Black Trauma and Social Media Power Ballad The Bottom Line Hits every note. Venue: SXSW Film Festival (Narrative Spotlight) Cast: Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas, Peter McDonald, Marcella Plunkett, Havana Rose Liu, Jack Reynor, Beth Fallon Director: John Carney Screenwriter: John Carney, Peter McDonald Rated R, 1 hour 38 minutes Of the two main themes presented by Aja, it’s love that comes to the forefront first. Rick is a rock musician who falls somewhere between “has-been” and “never-was,” and now enjoys a pleasant if unexciting career as the lead singer of The Bride & Groove — “Ireland’s grooviest wedding band,” per the decal on their truck. At one of their jobs, he happens to meet Danny ( Nick Jonas ), a former boy bander who’s trying to launch a solo career, so far ...
Read full article at source