Flora y su hijo Max

I love Sundance Film Festival! As a fan of Sing Street, I was excited when I saw that John Carney's latest film was playing in Park City. The experience of watching the film with the director and cast in the room was phenomenal.

Carney is a masterful writer/director, and I am continually drawn to his storytelling. The performances in the film were equally strong with Eve Hewson crushing her role and forming a chemistry-fueled bond with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

It's hard to separate the film from the experience. The finale was a little jumbled and lacked closure in certain aspects. During the Q&A, Carney said that this film was a dedication to mothers (similar to how Sing Street was "for brothers everywhere"). Knowing that, my perception of the film's ending changed. The music was not as strong as his previous films, but it was still a solid movie.

Best Character: Flora Best Scene: Rooftop Duet

Additional Note: I wish that I could download the songs and listen already, but that will have to wait until the film is released.

Flora and Son is another feel-good winner from John Carney. A messy Irish single mother, wonderfully played by Eve Hewson, takes up online guitar lessons with a charming LA-based Joseph Gordon-Levitt and learns how to take control of her life and re-connect with her son. Henson delivers a fantastic performance, and Gordon-Levitt is so charming! Carney shows how important music is to our lives and what it can do for so many. Starts off a little generic, but quickly finds its heart and soul. John Carney is simply one of those directors where you can literally see their passion in their work. Exactly what you would expect: Funny, wholesome, and heartfelt with a catchy songs and a proper use of the internet to connect and share art. What more could you want?!

John Carney who brought us the excellent Sing Street (2016) and the lovely Once (2007,) gives us another cracking musically centred tale around single mother Flora and her teenage son Max. Eve Hewson is fabulous as Flora and young Oren Kinlan is perfect as Max. There's also a lovely performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jeff, Flora's guitar teacher. There's elements of whimsy, romance, social realism, comedy and eclectic music thrown in along the way. Whilst some of the plot towards the end seems a little far fetched overall this is an enjoyable and life affirming film that deserves a wide audience.

This movie has plenty of flaws and cliches...and I did not care all that much. Carney has this way of using music to overcome an audience's resistance. I was like, "This is worse than 'Begin, Again,'" and, "Well, it ain't 'Sing Street.'" But then a mother and son started making music together. And I was cooked. This is basically "Hearts Beat Loud" but Irish and with more familial antagonism. Is it Carney's best? Nope. Not even close. Some of the Joseph Gordon Levitt scenes were downright laughable (not to mention cringy). But it says something when the moments and performances are enough to overcome all (or most of) the flaws. Hewson especially kills it. She takes something fairly stereotypical and transforms it into a complex character that can carry a film. This movie may not be perfect, but that doesn't mean it is any less enjoyable.

Another sweet, likable slice of life salted with a hefty sprinkling of music from director John Carney.

Eve Hewson (Bono's daughter) does a fair job of making an exasperating character winning, and she and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays her guitar teacher/love interest, have some serious chemistry together, no mean feat given that their characters interact entirely via video conferencing (though Carney does throw in some inventive flourishes to get around that obstacle). If it all ends a little too patly, and it seems like everyone a little too easily gets what they want, well, I don't watch these kinds of movies for how realistic they are, but rather how I'd like to think the world could be.

Grade: B+