Written By Mauricio Segura // Image Created By: The Golden Bay Times Graphics Dept.
In Power Ballad, Paul Rudd plays Rick Power, an American musician living in Dublin, Ireland. Once a long-haired front-man with rock-star dreams, Rick is now a wedding-singer family man playing for drunken, cake-fueled crowds who only want to hear hits written by other people. It is not exactly the audience he once imagined, but he gets by with occasional arena-sized daydreams.
Then there is Danny Wilson, played by Nick Jonas, a former boy-band star trying to prove to his label that he is actually talented, and not just a handsome face with dance moves
Directed and co-written by John Carney (Once, Begin Again), the film feels like a story made by someone who truly understands musicians. Not fantasy-cliché film musicians who simply appear as polished idols, but working musicians who lug their own amps up countless stairs, accept tips, and chase that one great song they believe will change their entire life. Setting the film in Dublin gives it a scruffy charm that never overpowers the storyline.
In some ways, Rick could be viewed as a washed-up musician holding on to a dream that should have been locked in a safe years ago. But Rudd does not play Rick in that light. Instead, he portrays him as a man who has made peace with his life, only to learn the hard way that peace and surrender are not the same thing. Rick is funny, wounded, petty, loving, and still hungry, chasing his ultimate dream, the specifics of which have even eluded him with time. Jonas plays Danny in an equally entertaining fashion, bringing just enough of his true nature to turn Danny into a believable pop star while incorporating enough insecurity to reveal the agony eating at him from the inside.
The featured song, “How to Write a Song Without You,” is important to the story, though I’ll be honest: I did not think it was that great. It is definitely a movie song disguised as a radio hit, written with the simple C-F-Am chord progression, which works subconsciously because it gives the brain a sense of pop familiarity. Also, the film keeps circling back to it over and over, so by the end, it becomes somewhat catchy. I found that it made my foot quietly betray my brain by swaying to the beat under my seat. Still, it is not great, but how many times have we swayed to less-than-stellar songs, right?
Power Ballad is a good film to pass the time with in the theater. It’s entertaining, thought-provoking, and showcases Paul Rudd’s singing chops, which are actually quite impressive. He’s already a great actor, but the man can sing? Yes, he can!
Nick Jonas proves that some musicians can be really good actors. His performance, aside from the pop-star aspect, is strong and delivered with the ease of a seasoned actor. The supporting cast, including Rick’s family and wedding band, adds to the charm of the story.
Last but not least, the excellent soundtrack of ’80s and ’90s hits, sung by Rudd and the band, elevates the already entertaining film with nostalgia and familiarity.
Power Ballad: 7/10
