Power Ballad review: Rudd and Jonas clash in John Carney’s music comedy

John Carney returns to his familiar territory of music and small, human stories with Power Ballad, a music comedy that leans more into laughs than some of his earlier films while retaining the warmth and optimism that define his work. The film follows Rick, played by Paul Rudd, a former rock hopeful now leading a wedding band in Ireland, and Danny, played by Nick Jonas, a former boy-band star trying to go solo.

After a night of drinking and playing music together, Rick shares pieces of a song that later appears as Danny’s hit, sending Rick on a quest to prove he deserves credit. Written by Carney and co-writer/co-star Peter McDonald, the movie shifts the director’s usual focus from the craft of songwriting to questions of ownership and perception: who a song belongs to, and how meaning can differ between two people.

The film contains a couple of catchy numbers but, compared with Carney’s previous work, fewer original songs.

Ireland

power ballad, john carney, paul rudd, nick jonas, music comedy, wedding band, song ownership, songwriting, peter mcdonald, ireland