If I was stuck on a deserted island, and could only watch the movies of one filmmaker, while I would seriously consider Akira Kurosawa or Quentin Tarantino, to maintain my sanity, I would probably choose John Carney. Let’s face it, the guy has never made a bad movie, and you’re almost always guaranteed some incredible music, a deep love story, and a lot of laughs. His 2007 breakout, Once, is maybe the best musical romance ever made, and he continues to put out quality, soulful stuff such as Sing Street, Flora & Son, and his latest, Power Ballad.
Power Ballad is a bit different from Carney’s other films. While a love of music is at the center, it’s also about how men handle success, or the lack thereof. We rarely see the guy-to-guy dynamic in a Carney movie, but we do here, and it gives us two funny, surprisingly nuanced performances by Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas. Rudd plays Rick, a talented musician and songwriter who gave up his rock star dreams to get married to the love of his life, Rachel (Marcella Plunkett), and start a family in Ireland. His teen daughter Aja (Beth Fallon) finds her Dad’s ancient music pretty gross, but he showers her with love and attention anyway. In short, Rick is a pretty grounded dude for a former rocker living a life of domestication.
And perhaps that’s because he still gets to rock out all of the time as part of a wedding band, hilariously named The Bride & Groove. They play all the standard classic rock hits that people want to hear at weddings, but Rick often kills the mood by trotting out one of his old songs that nobody has ever heard of. He still dreams of playing in front of a massive Madison Square Garden crowd.
Jonas enters the picture as former boy band member Danny, who is struggling to find his voice as a solo artist. When Danny and Rick perform together at a friend’s reception, the chemistry is instant. They spend the rest of the night drinking, talking, and working on songs together. But when Rick shows Danny one of his great unfinished songs, he has no idea that the pop star is going to snag it for himself as a way of reviving his stalled career.
Of course, the song becomes a smash hit, and Rick sees it as a chance to finally achieve his dreams. But Danny isn’t so quick to share credit, and Rick wallows in anger and grief over the life he gave up. Power Ballad is less of a comedy than some of Carney’s other films, which might be a surprise considering that’s what we expect from Rudd. Rick has to grapple with the fact that he might have had the talent all along to be a superstar who could’ve packed stadiums. He begins to take that frustration out on the people closest to him, threatening to lose everything and everyone he holds dear. Carney, who also wrote the screenplay, smartly doesn’t cast Rick as too bent on getting revenge, even if his best friend and ex-con Sandy (Peter McDonald, terrific) wants to get it for him. What Rick wants more than anything is to understand why Danny, who he sincerely liked, did what he did. He also just wants some credit, some acknowledgement, which shouldn’t be too much to ask. Rudd is surprisingly good behind the mic, as well.
Power Ballad also gives us one of Jonas’ best performances. Look, we know he can sing, and playing a member of a boy band is something he can do in his sleep. But Danny would be a villain if played the wrong way. He’s surprisingly sympathetic, though, even if his actions are despicable. Danny is a guy who is coming to realize that he’s not the creative genius he thought he was, and that the comments made on social media about his lack of talent might be true. At the same time, Danny becomes a total prick once he’s back on top, and while he might hate himself for it, he doesn’t do much to repair the broken friendship with Rick.
In true Carney fashion, there are great performances throughout the ensemble. Along with McDonald, Plunkett, and Fallon, you also get Carney veteran Jack Reynor as Danny’s sleazy manager who sees Rick as just another loser trying to bleed his client dry.
Okay, I have some gripes, though. For me, Power Ballad boasts one of the weakest original scores of any Carney film, with the central song, a power ballad naturally, one-note and certainly not ready for prime time. You do get some catchy classic rock tunes, though, and I had a chuckle hearing some of those songs (such as The Police’s ‘Message in a Bottle’) on the drive home. Also, the plot is razor-thin, with Rick’s domestic and professional troubles wrapped up neatly when there’s so much to be explored. We could’ve done with more from Havana Rose Liu (who can be seen in the excellent Tuner right now) as Danny’s girlfriend Marcia, who believes this powerful, heartfelt new song was written for her.
Complaints aside, Power Ballad is an easy charmer and a crowd pleaser. It’s easily the most mainstream film Carney has ever done, and with Rudd and Jonas it could surpass Begin Again (which I love, so sue me) as his highest-grossing effort. It’s because Carney has set such a high bar that Power Ballad feels like a little bit of a letdown, but there’s still so much to enjoy that his fans are sure to leave happy and fulfilled.
Power Ballad opens in theaters on May 29th.
