Power Ballad

Would have given it a 10 but in the very early moments, the broad Irish brogue of the band members wasn't easy to understand but got better as you tuned into them. I'm not a big fan of Paul Rudd as I suspect that there's a picture in an attic somewhere that really reflects his aged look but this film finds him in an ideal role that should make this a summer feel-good film to watch if you want something other that animated films or superhero movies. It opens the window on the music industry in a realistic and often unflattering way which shows how cutthroat it can. We meet Rudd as the front man in a rock band that does weddings in Ireland and you know a little about his history when he gets chastised by the band's leader for singing one of his old standards. This man had some big stadium dreams, nicely recreated, but fell in love with a local Irish girl and stayed put and now has a daughter. After this wedding he gets to jam with a boy band member who wants to be taken seriously and they play a song together that Rudd wrote but the other bloke steals it and has a humongous hit with it. The rest of the film shows him trying to get acknowledged as the song's original writer . This involves him leaving Dublin and confronting the other singer on his own turf in L.A. When you see the singer's home and fast cars you realise that there is a lot to play for. He drags his fellow band member, Sandy, played very nicely by Peter McDonald (just watch the ace way that he deals with a Hollywood "hottie"), who shared his dream of rock star celebrity but never quite made it. What sets the film apart from the usual "feel-good" corniness is the clever way it deals with what he wants from the boy band member, while acknowledging that he cannot prove, legally speaking, how the song originated with him. In the end, if you don't come out humming the song in question, it's time to get your ears checked at "Specsavers".

Rudd and Jonas get to stretch beyond they usual personas - Rudd as a singer and Jonas as an actor - in this funny, somewhat suspenseful and satisfying tale of musical creativity and success. The supporting cast - particularly Peter McDonald as Rudd's loyal but disruptive best friend - also have great moments.