Power Ballad

John Carney is a man who knows the power of music on film, from his breakthrough Once to Sing Street. In his latest, Paul Rudd stars as Rick, whose rock star dreams have collapsed into fronting one of Ireland’s most unreliable wedding bands. At a gig he collides with Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former boy bander going solo, desperate for credibility as a singer-songwriter. Over one whiskey-soaked night they build a deep musical bond. The next thing he knows, Danny Wilson has a worldwide hit with one of Rick’s musical sketches. But proving that the song is his doesn’t come easy…

Power Ballad hits all the right notes, but this isn’t some overfamiliar anthem: there’s genuine stakes in this tale of musical talent and stardom, and what it means to have success in life and music. Nick Jonas shows genuine range, more than a match for Rudd’s well-established charms. The original songs bring a rare authenticity to the piece, and there’s plenty of lightly worn Irish humour to make this a crowdpleaser that’ll have your lighters in the air.