Jun 7, 2026 · 23 min · 9 segments
Power Ballad: 1:03 Scary Movie (2026): 4:17 Masters of the Universe: 7:17
Rick, a washed-up wedding singer, and Danny, a fading boy band star, bond over music and at late-night jam sessions.
When Danny turns Rick's song into a hit, Rick sets out to reclaim the recognition he believes he deserves.
All right, well, as that shows, on paper, John Carney's Power Ballad seems like something way too familiar and a story seen many times before.
So I was happy to see, for me at least, it pretty constantly surprises throughout.
I've always loved the movies of John Carney, for first, their utter Irishness, but also their love of music and how they aim straight for the heart without ever being mawkish.
His by far most acclaimed movie, Once, became a true phenomenon, spurning a Broadway hit along with a mega-selling soundtrack.
My favorite, though, is Sing Street, a sweet coming-of-age story about a boy who starts a band to win the heart of a girl.
Again, a tale as old as time, but so fun I've watched it six times and will definitely put it on our next slate for the movie education of Brandon Wilkins.
And Power Ballad, a scrappy hit already in the festival circuit, combines all these elements to make, for me at least, a flick that belongs among his very best.
The charms of Power Ballad start at the top, with a romance that turns sour at its core, featuring Paul Rudd, and Nick Jonas, by far the biggest stars Carney has netted.
In the first of many great sequences, Rudd's wedding singer Rick, an American expat who settled in Ireland to marry his wife, who to me now is a teenage daughter, bonds with Jonas' Danny Elliott, a former boy band icon trying to find his own path.
A guest shot by Elliot at a wedding party turns into an all-night jam and bonding session.
As anyone who's seen the trailer for this knows, one song stands out and becomes the center of a heated rights dispute.
But from that premise, Carney and co-writer Peter McDonald, who also shines in Power Ballad as Rick's ride-or-die mate Sandy, takes it in many directions, all of which land for a much more emotional finish than I expected.
For Rick's side, what makes this hit so strongly is what the song at its core, How to Write a Song Without You, really means to him.
I won't spoil that, but it gives his family members, Irish actresses Marcella Plunkett and Beth Fallon real moments to shine, and also adds real heart to the mission that Rick and Sandy go on to try and reclaim the stolen song.
On Danny's side, it's a much deeper-than-expected look at the crushing weight of expectations and ambition.
Jonas is game to play a character we want to hate, but in Carney's telling, we will cheer for him to do the right thing.
I won't reveal how it all comes out.
I'll just say it's my favorite finish of a movie so far in 2026, keeping you guessing but ending in a way that made me smile, even with his final surprise twist.
And especially with a sweet nod to the Irish busking scene that inspired Once.
In short, Carney's biggest movie, though it was only made for 10 million, makes the most of its biggest stars, too, and also crafts a tale that tugs at your heart as it draws you in deeper and deeper.
All right, Keith.
Rick, a washed-up wedding singer, and Danny, a fading boy band star, bond over music and at late-night jam sessions.
When Danny turns Rick's song into a hit, Rick sets out to reclaim the recognition he believes he deserves.
All right, well, as that shows, on paper, John Carney's Power Ballad seems like something way too familiar and a story seen many times before.
So I was happy to see, for me at least, it pretty constantly surprises throughout.
I've always loved the movies of John Carney, for first, their utter Irishness, but also their love of music and how they aim straight for the heart without ever being mawkish.
His by far most acclaimed movie, Once, became a true phenomenon, spurning a Broadway hit along with a mega-selling soundtrack.
My favorite, though, is Sing Street, a sweet coming-of-age story about a boy who starts a band to win the heart of a girl.
Again, a tale as old as time, but so fun I've watched it six times and will definitely put it on our next slate for the movie education of Brandon Wilkins.
And Power Ballad, a scrappy hit already in the festival circuit, combines all these elements to make, for me at least, a flick that belongs among his very best.
The charms of Power Ballad start at the top, with a romance that turns sour at its core, featuring Paul Rudd, and Nick Jonas, by far the biggest stars Carney has netted.
In the first of many great sequences, Rudd's wedding singer Rick, an American expat who settled in Ireland to marry his wife, who to me now is a teenage daughter, bonds with Jonas' Danny Elliott, a former boy band icon trying to find his own path.
A guest shot by Elliot at a wedding party turns into an all-night jam and bonding session.
As anyone who's seen the trailer for this knows, one song stands out and becomes the center of a heated rights dispute.
But from that premise, Carney and co-writer Peter McDonald, who also shines in Power Ballad as Rick's ride-or-die mate Sandy, takes it in many directions, all of which land for a much more emotional finish than I expected.
For Rick's side, what makes this hit so strongly is what the song at its core, How to Write a Song Without You, really means to him.
I won't spoil that, but it gives his family members, Irish actresses Marcella Plunkett and Beth Fallon real moments to shine, and also adds real heart to the mission that Rick and Sandy go on to try and reclaim the stolen song.
On Danny's side, it's a much deeper-than-expected look at the crushing weight of expectations and ambition.
Jonas is game to play a character we want to hate, but in Carney's telling, we will cheer for him to do the right thing.
I won't reveal how it all comes out.
I'll just say it's my favorite finish of a movie so far in 2026, keeping you guessing but ending in a way that made me smile, even with his final surprise twist.
And especially with a sweet nod to the Irish busking scene that inspired Once.
In short, Carney's biggest movie, though it was only made for 10 million, makes the most of its biggest stars, too, and also crafts a tale that tugs at your heart as it draws you in deeper and deeper.
All right, Keith.
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