Power Ballad
Dustin Chase
You can always hear a John Carney (Sing Street) movie coming before you see it. His films are always about music, but never musicals. Diane Warren might be more associated with the best song category in the film awards arena, but Carney’s filmmaking style centers around the creation of song and the power of music. His films deliver memorable tunes easily identified with their films. “Once,” his breakout film from 2006, won the Academy Award for best song, while his more popular hit film “Begin Again” (2013) received a nomination (and should have won that year). The Irish filmmaker’s latest “Power Ballad” is a stripped-down, comedic drama, nearly a two-hander between Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas. It’s got a thin script, a great song, solid performances, and an ending that’s pitch-perfect.
“We’re not rock stars, we’re human juke boxes,” Rick (Rudd) is reminded about his day job, performing at weddings around Dublin. They are called “The Bride and Groove”, 50-somethings who didn’t quite make it in the big leagues of music. Rick still chases that dream between his day job and family life, writing endless amounts of songs that are never produced and only faintly heard by his wife and daughter. At another routine wedding, the groom’s childhood friend is former boy band sensation Danny Wilson (Jonas). Rick and Danny hit it off, hung out after the event, and drunkenly worked on music together. Six months later, Wilson releases an album and tops the charts with a song Rick helped create.
Rudd’s performance here is a rare moment disappearing into a role that’s neither heroic nor villainous but innately human.
Feeling he is owed, combined with never getting his shot, Rick devotes and risks everything to prove he had a hand in the song.
Like many Marvel superhero actors, Paul Rudd has become an identifiable superstar. His iconic smile and charming demeanor have gotten him typecast for years. Rudd’s performance here is a rare moment disappearing into a role that’s neither heroic nor villainous but innately human. Nick Jonas, known for his looks, his brother’s pop music, and his solo career, delivers his best work on screen. “Power Ballad” flirts with themes of dreams, family, resentment, etc. Yet it’s ultimately about grown men accepting themselves and maturing even as adults. The script leans into physical comedy a bit more than Carney’s previous work, diluting an already gaunt narrative. It also shies away from exploring some of the topics it raises, sticking to its fast-paced running time of 90 minutes.
“Begin Again” was a terrific film, and one of the elements that made it so great was one song, “Lost Stars,” which was used in so many ways. When Adam Levine sang the song, it was great. Yet when we finally hear Keira Knightley’s version in the end, it’s emotional, given the building context of the film and the character’s journey. The same technique is used here with “How to Write a Song”. We hear Nick Jonas sing the tune at various moments in the film. It’s a terrific song; you can hear it on the radio and online. What you won’t find (yet) is Paul Rudd singing that exact same song. It happens near the end of the film, and it works. The power of John Carney’s filmmaking talent is summing up his stories with one song. A bookend of two voices and melodies with all the emotional context in the middle. The ending here makes everything that came before sound even better.
Final Thought
John Carney delivers the ‘ballad’ of summer.