Power Ballad (3 stars out of 4)
Few directors have captured the joy of music as effectively as John Carney. Specifically, Carney’s films–“Once,” “Begin Again,” and especially 2016’s “Sing Street”–capture the joy of making music. So for musicians, people who appreciate musicians, and people who are somewhere in-between, “Power Ballad” marks the next welcome installment in Carney’s portfolio.
“Power Ballad” is the story of a down-on-his-luck musician who gets a chance encounter with success, only to see opportunity stolen from his grasp.
Rick (Paul Rudd) is an American musician who relocated to Ireland to raise his family. As time has gone on, his creative ambitions ebbed, and when we meet him he is scratching out a meager living as the lead singer for a wedding band.
On one almost magical night, the band plays an event at an Irish castle, and the groom happens to be longtime friends with Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a superstar member of a famous boy band. After Danny joins Rick onstage for a pensive guest appearance, the two wind up having a drunken collaboration session in Danny’s portable studio, where Rick shares an unfinished song he’s noodled around with for years.
For Rick, the chance encounter is little more than an encouraging memory until several months later, when Danny scores his first big solo hit with the song, which fails to identify any outside credit. But when Rick tries to contact Danny about the matter, Danny’s ruthless manager Mac (Jack Reynor) threatens to ruin him if he doesn’t back off.
The incident proves to be the last straw for Rick, whose life begins to unravel as he desperately pleads for support, including from his wife Rachel (Marcella Plunkett) and teenage daughter Aja (Beth Fallon). For his part, Danny seems genuinely confused about the origin of the song, thanks to the alcoholic fog of their encounter.
What follows is alternately heartbreaking, heartwarming, and often darkly comic, true to the form of Carney’s previous films. Rudd is sympathetic as Rick, bringing his likable everyman ethos to the role, and Jonas is easy to accept in his, given his real-life experience with The Jonas Brothers. It’s fun to see Reynor after his supporting outing in “Sing Street,” though “Power Ballad’s” MVP is probably Peter McDonald, who plays Rick’s loyal bandmate and best friend Sandy. One consistent feature of a Carney film is its original music, and “Power Ballad” once again offers the creative efforts of Gary Clark.
Compared to his other efforts, “Power Ballad” feels a little more harsh as Carney focuses on the cold realities of the music business and the cruel actions of adults, where “Sing Street” enjoyed a certain innocence by focusing on younger characters (even if they were dealing with very grown-up challenges). In terms of subject and theme, “Power Ballad” feels most similar to 2013’s “Begin Again,” which followed the plight of a struggling record producer in New York City.
Altogether, though the music business theme of “Power Ballad” steers the film away from the innocent heights of “Sing Street” and the moving intimacy of “Once,” thanks to its unabashed sincerity and heart it earns a worthy spot in Carney’s formidable catalogue.
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“Power Ballad” is rated R for profanity and some comic violence.