For those of us that grew up in the era that coined the term “Power Ballad,” there is an expectation to what comes with it. Long hair, huge chords, lyrics of undying love, and vocal gymnastics that may make current R&B stars tilt their heads, the subgenre of “hair metal” also could be the earliest version of the concept of being “in all of the feels”. Granted, none of these terms would hit the collective consciousness until well after the fact, but they truly encompass what that time was all about. To co-writer and director John Carney, that term goes to a different place with Power Ballad. (Remember, this the guy that brought us Once and Sing Street, so music and Ireland are his jam. I punned what I punned.)
Paul Ruddd plays Rick Powers, a guy who toured the world with a band in what could be construed as the late ‘80s/early ‘90s and ended up settling down in Ireland with his wife and teenage daughter, making money as the frontman for a wedding band named “The Bride and Groove”. At one particular high-falootin’ reception is friend of the couple Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former member of a boy band who is still trying to make a solo career happen. When a performance at the reception turns into an all-night session of writing and drinking between the two, their bond shows promise, but when Wilson ends up taking one of Danny’s songs as his own and turning it into a global sensation without any mention or credit to Rick, Rick goes on a quest to get what he believes he deserves and could lose everything in the process.
On the surface, it would seem that one would need a decent understanding of both the wedding and music businesses to truly appreciate Power Ballad, but that is not necessarily true. As much as those two factors are a part of this story, they do not dominate the film as much as one would think. Those are simply the backdrop to the deeper story of friendship, betrayal, perceived loyalty, and dangerous determination that is what this is truly about. This film does flirt with “dark comedy” territory, which I was not prepared for as Rick descends into a level of obsession that drives him to some pretty crazy moments, yet not to the extreme that he was a part of in last year’s Friendship (thank all things good and holy).
The performances between the two leads is nothing short of stellar. Rudd (who hasn’t aged since the “hair metal” era) is both charming and unhinged depending on when that is called for while Jonas (who definitely had a lot of personal experience to draw from) understands the role of the tortured artist that just wants to be recognized for HIS accomplishments while being the only member of the group that has not really seen that yet. Their relationship goes from sweet to sour to explosive to combative and more within less than an hour forty-five in a way that only Carney can deliver, and he DOES.
Power Ballad is one of those films that I believe will find a solid following on streaming down the line as summer movie season kicks into high gear, but that’s okay. This is not blockbuster material, nor does it want to be; it just wants to tell its story in a very down-to-earth and honest way that will appeal to fans of music and his previous works in the same way that it has done before and I hope will happen again.