Director John Carney is known for infusing his movies with music. 'Once', 'Begin Again' and 'Sing Street' all have music at their core, with the songs being vital to their plot and at the heart of the narrative. Carney's newest film, 'Power Ballad', looks to do all of that again - but this time, through more of a comedic lens.
The film follows Rick Power 'Paul Rudd' 'Anaconda', 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'), a past-his-prime wedding singer who had big dreams of being a rock star. His band has been performing across Ireland for some time now, but Rick yearns for his big break and he still writes songs in between gigs. At one wedding, ex-boy band star Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas, 'Jumanji: The Next Level', 'Love Again') is attending as a guest when the bride and groom demand he performs with Rick and his band. Rick and Danny hit it off on stage and end up spending the rest of the wedding reception in a jam session. They share song ideas and riff off each other; Rick even plays one of his original songs and Danny falls in love with it. Months later, and Danny has released a new single - and it just happens to be that exact song Rick played for him. Rick is now on a mission to reclaim the song and get the recognition he deserves.
SWITCH: 'POWER BALLAD' TRAILER
'Power Ballad' is a really fun, heartwarming film - the type we now expect from Carney. Rudd and Jonas are an unexpectedly entertaining duo who deliver on the comedy along with the emotional beats. The balance between Rick and his dreams and Danny and trying to stay relevant in the music industry equal out each other nicely. While Rick is the main character and we follow him for most of the runtime, the film doesn't shy away from portraying Danny as more than just someone who stole a song.
Rudd and Jonas are an unexpectedly entertaining duo who deliver on the comedy along with the emotional beats.
'Power Ballad' pairs the unlikely duo of Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas and turns into another heartfelt music dramedy from John Carney. While it leans into the comedy more than his previous films, it's still another enjoyable film in his ever-growing filmography.