Power Ballad hits a high note thanks to smart casting

Songwriter Rick Power battles singer Danny Wilson for a cash grab of a hit song in the new Lionsgate film Power Ballad.

Set in Ireland, Rick is a wedding singer in a cover band called The Bride & Groove. He dreams of major success and slips in original tunes into the set list when possible. Danny attends a wedding and winds up singing onstage with the group. This leads to a night of songwriting and antics in Danny's luxurious hotel room.

Rick returns to his regular life and then discovers Danny has stolen his music to worldwide acclaim. This takes Power on a journey involving friends, family and fame, which all play out until the end.

The concept is kept simple in a concise 98-minute running time and should be a crowd-pleaser in the theater. Director, writer and composer John Carney is enough of a reason to run to the movie house. He has built a strong career with his projects and cultivated a loyal stable of performers over the years. Once was a critical darling in 2006 and Sing Street was developed into a live, musical stage show.

All of his undertakings shine in their own way and Power Ballad hits all the right notes. His key original song, “How to Write a Song Without You,” is crucial to the heart of the story.

Paul Rudd as Rick Power and Nick Jonas as Danny Wilson are an unlikely onscreen duo, but likable and liking each other is a factor in the plot.

As far as LGBTQ+ representation, there is a lesbian wedding, but I had hoped that Power's daughter, Aja, portrayed by Beth Fallon, would turn out to be queer or even follow in her father's footsteps to become a singer.

Marcella Plunkett is her onscreen mother and this is her fourth John Carney collaboration.

Jack Reynor is another one of Carney's muses and he plays the music executive Mac in Power Ballad.

Rudd has made a career of playing himself and being the honest, relatable person dealing with life situations. His dry humor and honest reactions have paid off and continue as this character.

Jonas is still learning to navigate that and playing a pop star who left a boy band is not a stretch by any means.

Paul performs vocals on his tracks and he deserves to be the next John Stamos of the concert world, as an opening act on a Nick Jonas tour. He has the chops to sing a ballad or two on the road and the personality to charm any crowd.

In the wrong hands, Power Ballad could have been a dark tale about revenge and anger. Instead, this team has told a story with Power-ful lessons in life accompanied by pleasant harmonies.

Power Ballad serenades major city theater goers, such as Chicago, on May 29 and expands its diaphragm to the rest of the United States on June 5, 2026.