Power Ballad

Danny (Nick Jonas) and Rick (Paul Rudd) bond over music in Power Ballad (Distributed by Lionsgate)

Power Ballad is about a man, happy with his life, who is still unable to stop himself from wondering what if. He just needs the validation that his dream could have been fulfilled if things had gone a different way. It is also about a younger man, who has had fame, but worries he isn’t good enough to climb that mountain on his own. He needs the validation that he is worthy. It is a pleasant, amusing, sweet story, featuring two guys who make poor choices due to their insecurities.

Director/cowriter John Carney makes movies with music at their center. That tends to be where he finds the emotions. Here, while fame and money are both important to the protagonists at some level, creating something beautiful that people recognize as theirs is what drives them. That is a relatable motivation, grounding this in a human way, even as they deal with promoters, record labels and arena tours. While it is not on the level of Carney’s masterpiece, 2007’s Once, it is a pretty enjoyable dramedy about two people who are at odds as they try to find themselves at very different points in their lives.

Rick was in a band that he truly believed would become huge. On a tour of Ireland, he met a woman, fell in love, had a kid and left his band. Fifteen years later, he is the lead singer in a wedding band in Dublin. At a gig one night, he meets Danny, a former member of a famous boy band, who has struggled to establish himself as a solo act. They have an invigorating evening of playing music together. Six months later, Danny has a massive hit; a song Rick played for him that night. Now, Rick is determined to get the recognition he deserves.

Power Ballad (93 minutes, minus the end credits) handles this plot with a sense of humor and genuine sensitivity. Though Danny is clearly in the wrong, he isn’t a bad guy. In fact, Rick is extra disappointed because Danny seemed so down to Earth and real. Rick has a legitimate gripe, yet the way he takes it out on his family and friends seems almost resentful. They both have a lot to figure out.

The night they spend hanging out in Danny’s lavish hotel room is the centerpiece of the movie because, not only does it set the plot in motion, it is the most vulnerable either of them get. Drinking, playing the piano, singing, coming up with lyrics, discussing their love of making music, it is a convincing bonding experience. That is why Rick feels like if only he can talk to Danny, everything will be straightened out. And why Danny feels guilty, despite his conviction that he did something with the song that Rick never could.

While the screenplay (by Carney and Peter McDonald, who costars as Rick’s best friend) is decent enough, the performers needed to be likable for this to work. When you cast Paul Rudd, half of your job is done. He is funny and charming as a man who knows he has it good, but becomes consumed with getting credit for a song that has affected so many people. Nick Jonas is fine as Danny. However, he doesn’t quite have the emotional range to make the character connect as well. His character arc is also much shallower. A subplot involving his girlfriend is confusingly dropped when she disappears without explanation and is never mentioned again. That doesn’t necessarily hurt the movie. It just prevents it from taking on an extra dimension.

Power Ballad is an entertaining movie that hits its targets with charm and sincerity. John Carney once again shows the ability music has to touch the soul, of the listener and the performer. Though not his best work, it is a solid addition to his filmography.

3½ out of 5

Cast:

Paul Rudd as Rick

Nick Jonas as Danny Wilson

Marcella Plunkett as Rachel

Beth Fallon as Aja

Peter McDonald as Sandy

Jack Reynor as Mac

Directed by John Carney

Written by John Carney and Peter McDonald