Last November, I hosted roughly 100 listeners at a screening to celebrate my 20 years of film criticism on ABC Brisbane Breakfast radio.  Looking for a crowd-pleasing gem which most folk wouldn’t have seen, I chose the coming-of-age Sing Street, a 2016 release from Irish director John Carney (Once).  It was well received (phew) and highlighted the power of cinema to entertain and lift spirits.  If you haven’t seen it yourself, check it out ASAP!

It’s relevant because, until now, Sing Street was the last John Carney flick to show in Australian cinemas.  He’s worked on television series (Modern Love) and a direct-to-streaming movie (Flora and Son) but Power Ballad hopes to put bums on theatre seats.  Those ambitions will be bolstered by the two recognisable lead actors – the ageless Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) and singer-songwriter Nick Jonas.

Music is a common theme of Carney’s films and that’s again the case here.  Rudd plays Rick Power, an American living in Ireland who once had dreams of becoming a music star but, like so many, they were never realised.  He now makes a meagre living singing cover songs at weddings as part of a band humorously called Bride & Groove.  Jonas plays Danny Wilson, a semi-washed-up performer who was a member of a hugely successful boy band but is now struggling to find his voice and build a career as a solo artist.

The pair meet by chance at a wedding and, after consuming copious amounts of alcohol, they open-up about their respective troubles and bounce around ideas with respect to possible songs.  It’s a nice sequence which opens the film and I liked their back-and-forth conversations.  The pair go their separate ways, and we pan six months into the future when Rick, while visiting a shopping centre, hears the latest Danny Wilson song over the sound system.  He’s stolen lyrics that Rick riffed about and, without attribution, turned it into a number one hit!  Rick is rightfully pissed but can he find a way to prove his claim and received the credit… and money that he deserves?

Power Ballad a simple comedy which does “just” enough.  It’s not in the same class as Once and Sing Street and I attribute this to the narrower focus and goofier storyline.  There’s little else going on outside of the stolen music and where there is a chance to pursue another meaningful subplot, such as Rick’s relationship with his family/band or Nick’s love interest, the script provides only a surface-level exploration.

There’s still fun to be had though.  Audiences should lap up the satisfying finale and bop along to the catchy songs throughout.  Worth a look.