Power Ballad

by Mike McGranaghan

There are two notable things about Irish director John Carney: He always makes movies about music, and he never misses. Once, Begin Again, Sing Street and Flora and Son are all winners. So is his latest, Power Ballad, a music-driven tale about inspiration and ownership that hits the exact right chord to leave you feeling uplifted.

Rick Power (Paul Rudd) is an American living in Ireland with his wife and daughter. He plays guitar and sings in a wedding band, humorously called The Bride and Groove. During one wedding, Rick discovers that the groom’s best friend is Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former member of a popular boy band. The two strike up a conversation following an impromptu duet. Danny shares some of his solo material, while Rick plays a tune he’s written called “How to Write a Song.” Both offer suggestions on each other’s material.

Cut to a few months later, when Rick hears Danny’s new single, which sounds an awful lot like “How to Write a Song.” He can’t prove that Danny stole his work, since there are no recordings or public performances to verify the claim. Nevertheless, he begins a journey to track down the pop singer and demand credit for what he believes is rightfully his. Meanwhile, Danny’s manager Mac (Jack Reynor) does everything possible to protect his client.

Power Ballad rests on the easygoing chemistry between Rudd and Jonas. They click onscreen, making it easy to buy into the idea that their characters would bond over a passion for music. That chemistry also makes it harder to identify either guy as a “villain.” Rick is a man who simply wants recognition for something he did; Danny is a musician who found inspiration and ran with it. Interestingly, Rudd turns out to be a pretty good singer, and Jonas turns out to be a pretty good actor.

Using the comedic premise, Carney addresses the complexities of songwriting. If one person has the start of an idea and another person fleshes it out, is that plagiarism? And if a writer’s song is barebones, who does it belong to if the singer adds the magic that makes it a hit? These and other ideas are explored through the personal arcs of Rick and Danny, building to a climactic confrontation that’s funny and true to the issue at hand. Through it all, you come away with a strong sense of how personal music is to the people who create it. When you’re openly expressing emotions to the public, a feeling of ownership is inevitable, regardless of how you contributed to the process.

There are a great many laughs in the movie, as Rudd brings comedic (but still authentic) frustration to the role of Rick, and Jonas spoofs the image of former boy band members looking for solo success. A subject, incidentally, that he knows quite a bit about. There’s also a lot of heart in here. The story of these men and the song that touches the world will remind you of power ballads that have touched your own life.

The best compliment I can pay to Power Ballad is to say that it made me happy. With Rudd and Jonas at the center, Carney has assembled a magnificently entertaining film that reminds us how much better the world is with music in it.

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