‘Power Ballad’ Asks Whether Recognition is Worth Pursuing

There’s a unique sting to someone stealing your idea and making it their own. Where’s the recognition? Where’s the justice? And in the case of Power Ballad, where’s the money?

Power Ballad introduces us to Rick (Paul Rudd), a washed-up rockstar-turned-wedding singer who bonds with fading boy band star Danny (Nick Jonas) during a late-night jam session after a friend’s wedding. When Danny takes an idea Rick shared and turns it into pop gold, Rick becomes hellbent on getting the acknowledgment he deserves.

Directed by John Carney of Sing Street and Begin Again fame, Power Ballad masterfully captures the complexities of a dream evolving alongside the realities of real life, with the hopefulness and fun found in friendship and family.

Bouncing between Ireland and LA, the film translates the raw bleakness of the Irish aesthetic into Rick’s fluctuating sense of defeat, giving up the glossiness of Los Angeles for love and fatherhood. The muted tones of his worn-in home life and his ‘Bride and Groove’ bandmates’ skinny-jeaned declarations that they’ve “still got it” reveal a middle-age predicament navigated with varying levels of acceptance.

Danny, on the other hand, is feeling the pressure of transitioning from being in a boy band to finding respect as a solo artist. He’s balancing business expectations alongside his personal ethic and what feels like a lifeless romantic relationship.

Nick Jonas’ history in The Jonas Brothers makes him perfect for this role, but interestingly it feels like he’s inhabiting the traits of a famous-for-too-long-and-too-soon version of Justin Bieber who can’t get away from his public identity. Presumably it was cathartic for Nick who, as Danny, gets to delight in the sweetness of creativity shared between friends, and vent about the heavy expectations of his position.

Power Ballad exposes our tendency to be consumed by narrow understandings of achievement and significance. The majority of us won’t ever be on stage or have our names known by the world, so what recognition will we find value in? And what are the consequences of making it our focus?

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Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas are brilliantly paired for Power Ballad, which is easily one of the most fun and endearing films of the year so far.

Power Ballad is in cinemas June 5, rated M for coarse language and drug use.

Feature image: Supplied (Madman Entertianment )