Tag: drama/comedy

POWER BALLAD – Review

Since the musical biopic MICHAEL is still in the box office top ten, how about another tune-filled flick? The big difference here is that this new release is a fiction film, though many music historians muse about the MJ movie. So that’s where any comparisons end, despite the resemblance to several “real-life rockers” in this endearing “dramedy”. With music. It’s firmly the focus of the story. Luckily, this flick’s filmmaker has racked up a long list of such cinematic “melody movies”. But will he break his winning streak (with “niche” audiences and lots of critics) with a story concerning a “creator-questionable” POWER BALLAD?


And, appropriately, we meet a man by the name of Power in the film’s opening scene. That’s Rick Power (Paul Rudd), a pop star with a few modest singles decades ago. But those were the “Glory Days”. Now he’s the frontman and lead singer for a quartet of middle-aged musicians who travel through Ireland, entertaining at wedding receptions as “Bride & Groove”. They mainly do “covers” of classics by Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones, and other icons. Still, Rick likes to sneak in his lone hit song from so many years ago, much to the chagrin of his bandmates and the disinterest of the audience. At night’s end, they load up the B&G van and motor home. For Rick, that’s a modest abode he shares with his working wife Rachel (Marcella Plunkett), and high-school-aged daughter Aja (Beth Fallon). Yes, Rick gave up a rocker’s life in the States to move to the “Emerald Isle” for love. B&G’s next gig is quite a step “up” for a couple of reasons. First, they have overnight accommodations in a fancy, revamped castle. And second, they’re told that a friend of the couple, a very recent “boy-band” heartthrob named Danny Wilson, may pop up on stage. And he indeed does, as Danny (Nick Jonas) joins B&G for a Stevie Wonder classic. Long after the reception, Rick takes a stroll on the grounds and is approached by Danny. They enter his plush suite, where they indulge in fine booze, some buds, and a few new tunes for Danny’s first solo album. Into the early morning, the duo jams, with Rick playing some of his own unreleased works. Come the dawn, B&G is back on the road. The two go on with their lives, until…Rick hears Danny’s new smash single while at a shopping mall. Why, “How to Write a Song (Without You)” sounds exactly like the song Rick played for Danny. Ah, but Rick has no proof, as he has no sheet music and can’t locate the sound file on his computer. He becomes obsessed and nearly destroys his ties to his band and family, while getting the “run-around” from Danny’s stateside management, headed by the protective Mac (Jack Reynor). Hearing of a Wilson stateside concert tour, Rick plans a trip there with off-kilter band buddy Sandy (Peter McDonald). Can they confront Danny after his big show? More importantly, can Rick make Danny admit that his “comeback” song sprang from that long-ago, hazy night of music (and “enhancers”)?


It’s another big audience-pleasing performance by the “ageless” Mr. Rudd. Once again, he’s the affable everyman hero, a good, honest “Joe” we’re immediately rooting for, even when he’s at his lowest ebb (and things get dark for a bit). It helps that Rudd embraces a “team player’ spirit, whether he’s with his family or fellow bandmates. Sure, we heard him sing a bit of “Afternoon Delight” in a classic comedy, but we haven’t had a real taste of his musical “chops” till now. And in previous flicks like ROLE MODELS, I LOVE YOU MAN, and even DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS, Rudd is part of a great “bromance”, tis time with “for real” pop star Jonas as Danny Wilson (nice inside “naming job” as this was the title character in a late 40s Sinatra film). He’s got a nice. low-key, unaffected vibe, especially as he finds a kindred spirit/mentor in Rick. DW’s in need of a guide during this crucial career crossroads. Jonas also has great chemistry with Havana Rose Liu (so good in a larger role in last week’s TUNER) as Danny’s adoring girlfriend in a couple of brief but pivotal scenes, as she is the inspiration for that big, perhaps borrowed, hit single. Another essential part of the Wilson “machine” is Reynor as Mac, a great pal and cheerleader who’s also his “defense” against those who would con or exploit him. On the Power home front, Plunkett is a strong, steady co-parenting partner who’s also supportive but knows when to step in or step back. Fallon also hits all the right notes as daughter Aja, who delivers some memorable quips, particularly when she tells her Dad what young women really want in life. Quirky comedy relief is provided by co-screenwriter McDonald as the loyal, often dense Sandy, whose “filter” always is on the “fritz”.

As you may have guessed, the filmmaker in question is the multi-talented John Carney, who co-wrote the script along with composing several songs. And yes, this is a great companion to his impressive roster of musical movies, ONCE, BEGIN AGAIN, SING STREET, and FLORA AND SON. Here, Carney really does a deep dive into the creative process with the compelling Rick and Danny “all-nighter”, and as DW prepares for his big concerts. We’re also given a small peek inside the ever-changing music industry, as Danny strives to avoid Rick’s career pitfalls while starting a solo legacy. And like his previous works, Carney gives us a great batch of warm, endearing characters who mount a formidable “charm offense” led by Rudd. Plus, we get lots of “throwaway” bits, from the exchanging glances at the big castle event (somehow both disgust and lust), and the Power home dynamic (Aja trying to quietly move past Papa’s studio room). And, as with his previous films, Carney projects such a wonderful humanity, with no real “villains’, yet still not allowing the story to seep into sugary sweet sentimentality. Everyone’s trying their best to get through life while dealing with past missteps. And the tunes are pretty great, too. So, if you need a breather from the big Summer blockbuster onslaught, take a melodic trek into the “old sod” for a toe-tapping lyrical fable that is also a POWER BALLAD. And maybe Rudd will join those Jonas Bros for a “set” very soon.

3 Out of 4

POWER BALLAD is now playing in theatres

CODA – Review

Emilia Jones as Ruby in “CODA,” premiering globally on Apple TV+ on August 13, 2021. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+

CODA is writer/director Sian Heder’s charming coming of age comedy/drama about the daughter of a family of scrappy, independent fishermen, who all happen to be deaf except her. CODA means “child of deaf adults” but it also has a musical meaning, making it the perfect title for a film about a teen with a passion for singing, something her family neither hears nor comprehends.

With deaf actors in the roles of the girl’s brother and parents, including Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin as her feisty mother, and wonderful performances all around, writer/director Sian Heder’s often-funny, warm tale of a family, different from the ordinary and yet not, is sure to bring smiles and delight audiences.

CODA has been praised by deaf communities both for casting deaf actors in the roles and for its realistic depiction of a deaf family. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, along with other awards, and is a true crowd-pleaser that also impresses with its authenticity. Shot on location in Gloucester, Massachusetts, it is an American remake of the 2014 French film LA FAMILLE BÉLIER with a strong, and surprisingly international, cast.

CODA certainly does feel authentic, but the film’s appeal goes beyond that, with its focus on believable family dynamics and distinctive personalities, where the parents’ deafness is just a part of the picture. CODA is, at its heart, a coming-of-age story more than anything, with a delightful performance by English actress Emilia Jones as a girl who loves her quirky family but has ambitions that are just different from family tradition.

Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) is a 17-year-old living in the coastal Massachusetts town of Gloucester, where she is the only hearing member of her fishing family. Every morning before school, Ruby joins her father Frank (Troy Kotsur) and older brother Leo (Daniel Durant) on their fishing boat. Having Ruby on the boat allows them to monitor the radio for alerts and communicate with hearing fisherman and those who buy the catch on the dock when they return. At home, her mother (Marlee Matlin) does the bookkeeping for the family business. At school, Ruby faces some bullying but having best friend Gertie (Canadian actress Amy Forsyth) to count on helps.

As the film works through the family dynamics, it also explores Ruby’s budding interest in singing when she impulsively signs up for choir. The choir teacher Bernardo Villalobos (Mexican actor/comedian Eugenio Derbez), also know as Mr. V, is a quirky character but despite Ruby’s shyness, he recognizes her talent. Mr. V suggests she apply to a music college in Boston, even offering to coach her for the audition. Suiting the interests of his students in this fishing village, he picks a classic pop ballad to prepare for Ruby’s audition. For the upcoming school concert, the teacher also pairs her with Miles (Irish actor/musician Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), a boy Ruby is interested in.

Ultimately, a crisis in the family business arises and Ruby is faced with a choice between her own ambitions and her family.

Writer/director Sian Heder hails from Massachusetts, although not from Gloucester, so she understands the strong family fishing tradition in this part of New England. The Rossi family has done this for generations, as dad Frank tells us, and they are counting on Ruby to help continue the family business, and even more so as the only hearing one in the family. That the rest of her family can’t hear the singing Ruby loves doing, just makes it all the more difficult for them to understand her passion.

In many ways, it is just like any family business, where a child develops an interest far outside its expectations and traditions. But Ruby’s ability to hear is a particularly useful skill for her deaf family, enabling them to keep more of their aloofness from the hearing community around them than they might otherwise. Her parents’ dependence on Ruby to do these things puts pressure on her and frustrates their son Leo, who reads lips, and wants to do more to help them deal with the hearing community the surrounds them.

While some elements of the story are familiar, the script handles them very well. But the real appeal of the film is its characters and the performances. All the actors are terrific, especially Emilia Jones as Ruby, who is a complete charmer, and completely believable, beaming with energy and high spirits, and bouncing back from set-backs with determination, despite her shyness and normal teen self-doubts. She is perfect in the ensemble scenes with the family, and both cute and self-possessed in the ones with love-interest Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as Miles.

The scenes with the family are delightful, as they joke and tease. The use of sign language and Ruby’s combination of signing and speaking is handled so well that we never are confused about what is going on, and the snappy banter and warm quirky family scenes move smoothly at a brisk but clear pace.

By casting deaf actors, the film goes a long way towards getting things right from the start. As her parents, Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur are perfectly cast as a couple, and completely delightful, funny and loving and with a nice together-we-can -do-anything feeling. As Ruby’s older brother, Daniel Durant is excellent as well, presenting his struggle to assert himself as an asset to the family and his own independence, while engaging in playful sibling teasing with his sister.

Some of the funniest, most appealing scenes are with this lively family. Humor dominates the family scenes, along with a sassy, thumbing-their-noses-at-the-world independence. The family scenes are the film’s highlights, and the ensemble acting is wonderful. Marlee Matlin, unsurprisingly, shines as the still-sexy mom and Troy is appealing as Ruby’s rebellious but loving dad. The sibling squabbling between Ruby and Leo is spot on as well.

Unlike some deaf families, the Rossis do not live in a community of deaf people but of hearing ones, and see their deaf friends infrequently. The family lives apart from the rest of the community, in an appealing kind of close-knit, defiant independence. Dad comes from a long line of New England fishermen, mom was a model in her youth, and despite years of marriage, they can’t keep their hands off each other. Although their older child Leo, played well by Daniel Durant, is also deaf, he reads lips and feels much more comfortable interacting with the hearing community than his parents do. He would like to have a more active role in helping them but they continually turn to their hearing daughter for that role, much to Leo’s frustration.

As the film works through the family dynamics, it also explores Ruby’s growing ambitions and passion for singing, and her budding romantic interest in Miles.

Ruby’s quirky music teacher Mr. V, provides a big dose of humor. Mr. V is a bit of a character as well as an immigrant, in a town that seems to have few of them, and Eugenio Derbez creates one of the film’s funniest, most memorable characters who as much as outsider as Ruby feels she is in her small town. His outsider status and his skill as a teacher help her see beyond the fishing boat and her life with her loving but inward-looking family.

There are a lot of parallels to the immigrant experience to Ruby’s “outsider” family in CODA. One can see echos of stories of second-generation children, who have a foot in both worlds, the “new” and the “old” with Ruby, among them that she says that when she started school, kids teased her for her “deaf accent,” referring to the distinctive speech style of deaf people who are taught to speak, a nice detail which reveals that her loving parents did their best for their hearing daughter by speaking to her.

Subtle insights like that are woven smoothly into Heder’s well-written script. Heder’s script is well-crafted, effective, warm and entertaining, the direction is seamless and skillful, and the characters are memorable, particularly Ruby and her charmingly quirky family.

CODA’s characters are so appealing in their feisty quirkiness and family warmth, that it is the kind of film you will want to revisit. The story is both universal and unique to these characters, and that is a combination that is hard to beat.

CODA, the winner of the 2022 Oscars for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay and with Troy Kotsur winning for Best Supporting Actor, re-opens Friday, April 1, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema and is streaming on Apple TV+.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars