Paul Rudd is the quintessential every man.
Even all the way back to his breakout role in Clueless, he is the grounded, unassuming character who seems genuinely nice. The kind of guy who every man wants to grab a beer with and whose candour and goofiness charms unsuspecting women.
And so he brings this character to his newest film, Power Ballad.
Rick (Rudd) is an American singer/songwriter, who on a tour to Ireland, meets the love of his life. The dreams of musical success are put on the backburner and he builds a new life in the Emerald Isle.
Fast forward to present day: Rick is getting by as a singer in a moderately successful wedding band. It is during one of his gigs that he meets one of the wedding guests: Danny Wilson. Played (rather appropriately) by Nick Jonas, Danny is a former boy band singer who balancing on the ledge of a precarious window: reinvent his persona to transition to a successful soloist… or flounder into the abyss.
Rick is initially wary of the popstar. Perhaps because in Danny, he sees the life he could have had.
However, they end up bonding over songwriting and they pull an all-night jam session. This scene, although long, was my favourite part of the movie.
Jonas plays the poor rich popstar with zero real-life experience well. He is juggling creative frustration with the insecurities of a star who is verging on fizzling out. Rudd is the perfect fatherly cheerleader who runs lines with him while encouraging him through every riff. This dynamic felt genuine. I felt like I was watching magic in the making, that Danny and Rick were on the cusp of a breakthrough.
Six months later, Rick discovers that Danny has turned his song into a smash hit. While initially excited, reality hits and spurs Rick into action. The movie focuses on his mission to gain recognition for his treasured work.
Director Jim Carney thoughtfully and slowly unveils little details that deliver insight into the characters. One particular scene powerfully made us realise why Rick is so hell-bent on recognition (not compensation) while unmasking Danny’s shalllowness and upping his villain rating.
Similarly, a tender moment between Danny and his girlfriend, Marcia, amplifies his struggle to do the right thing.
I would have loved to see more of Marcia (Havana Rose Liu). I think she would have been the perfect as his conscience. Adding this tension would have given the movie more depth.
As it stands, Power Ballad mostly concentrates on Rick – which isn’t a problem for me because I love Paul Rudd. However, I can’t help but wonder if the story would have benefitted from less of a clear cut good vs evil trope.
Danny’s character already seemed like a decent character in the first third of the movie; he did gift Rick a valuable guitar after their jam session. However, he is reduced to being money and fame hungry as the movie goes on.
Power Ballad isn’t going to win an Oscar like “A Star is Born” or “Bohemian Rhapsody”.While these titles are gourmet offerings, Power Ballad is comfort food for the movie goer’s soul. At its heart, it is enjoyable and keeps you hooked from the first taste to the final drop. It is predictable yet engaging thanks to solid performances by Rudd and Jonas.
A special shout out must go to Peter McDonald’s Sandy who is reminiscent of Rhys Ifan’s Spike in Notting Hill; he is the unflinchingly loyal sidekick minus the pervy cringe of an otherwise well-meaning Spike. Sandy provides comic relief with his blind faith and social awkwardness.
Also, I have to admit, that as sappy as the song is, it is an absolute earworm. In fact, I am listening to it on loop right now as I am writing this review.
As much of a people pleaser this film is, I feel that the ending could have been fleshed out. To be clear, it wasn’t rushed or ill-thought out. In fact, as observed earlier, Carney does well to strategically feed us nuggets just when we need it. However, I felt like I was fed crumbs when what I really needed was a nine piece nugget meal. Maybe even more.
So while I left the theatre humming the title song, I couldn’t help but feel unsettled. While some might like endings that leaves things to the audience’s imaginations, I feel like it is a slight against Rick. After spending the whole moving silently cheering him on, the vagueness felt anti-climactic.
I know a sequel is unlikely. So I’ll hope that Carney either releases an alternative cut or a press release spelling out the ending.
Power Ballad is now showing in cinemas nationwide.