Power Ballad

John Carney (Begin Again, Sing Street, Flora and Son) delivers another in his succession of movies about musicians making music at various levels of success that, with the exception of his career-defining hit Once, charm without fully dazzling. Paul Rudd plays Rick, an aging American singer/songwriter living in the UK and fronting a lame wedding band, who crosses paths with Danny (Nick Jonas), a fading boy-band star, during a posh wedding gig. The two guys have a late-night jam and bonding session that yields the eponymous pop song that Danny turns into his comeback hit without crediting Rick. This elevates the has-been back to prominence and leaves the never-was feeling like even more of a failure who missed his one chance at fame. There are some strong scenes and plenty of nicely observed lived-in details we expect from Carney. However, his films have been getting more and more by-the-numbers, and this one really feels contrived at its core. This is also the first Carney movie that just dips too far into red on the schmaltz-a-meter, even for a guy like me who likes feel-good comedies.