Director: John Carney
Cast: Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas, Peter McDonald, Marcella Plunkett, Havana Rose Liu, Jack Reynor
Screenplay: John Carney, Peter McDonald
98 mins. Rated R for language throughout and some drug use.

Director John Carney (Begin Again), in his most high-profile outing to date, manages to make his best film yet: an almost-Shakespearian tragedy-turned-vengeance tale all played through the lens of musicians, one that has busted his ass his whole life to break through, and a former-boy-bander who desperately needs a hit. It’s emotional and often very funny, and it also features a damn solid central track that works its way into your ear and doesn’t leave.

Rick Power (Paul Rudd, The Perks of Being a Wallflower) was once aiming for Madison Square Garden. Now, he heads a Dublin-based wedding band, having chosen his family in lieu of a rockstar career. When he meets Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) a boy band superstar, at a wedding he’s working, the two hit it off, but six months later, Rick discovers that Danny has stolen a song that Rick had crafted and turned it into the biggest hit in the world. As Rick begins to fall apart with jealousy and frustration that no one believes him, he and his friend Sandy (Peter McDonald) set out to prove it and save Rick’s credibility.

While it deals with larger-than-life personas, Power Ballad in an incredibly relatable story, grounded in understandable ideas and bolstered by strong and frequently funny work from Rudd and Peter McDonald. Rick is in that state of life wondering if he is chasing an old dream or if he’s a never-was. Seeing something he crafted used to create worldwide star power would make anyone lose their mind. His subsequent unraveling is both understandable and a little unnerving; people believe that he met Danny Wilson, but no one seems to believe that his song could be stolen. It’s also understandable to see the choices that Danny makes. He has this immense pressure to prove himself crushing down around him, and he’s just trying to get a breath and have some time to create. My expectation of Power Ballad through the posters and description was that this would be a more bombastic and explosive dark comedy, but I actually quite appreciated Carney’s strong juggling of tone throughout.

Rudd and Jonas are both great as their respective parties, but co-writer/supporting performer Peter McDonald is a standout as Sandy. Seeing the male tenderness between Rick and Sandy and the support systems they have for each other is both funny and sweet. Strong friendships are hard to come by, and these two are ride-or-dies, making the climactic finale work all the better.

Of course, any John Carney film is only as strong as the music, and “How to Write a Song Without You” is a bona fide banger of a ballad. It’s an ear nugget of a piece that will absolutely be in contention as the Academy Awards round the corner for Best Original Song, and given the fact that this track plays in some form across Power Ballad at least a few dozen times, it’s a strong outing whether performed by Rudd or Jonas.

Power Ballad is an exciting and well-paced dramedy full of cathartic and relatable moments held together by strong writing and excellent performances. I appreciated the restraint from its lead performers in a narrative that could blow up if given too much zaniness, and Carney and company definitely find the sweet spot. It’s my favorite of Carney’s films thus far, and one I’d be happy to see again…as soon as I stop humming that song.

4/5
-Kyle A. Goethe