Submitted
Some might say that Flora brings a lot of her problems on herself: her hedonistic, hard-partying lifestyle made her a 17-year-old mom and left her with feckless musician husband Ian (Jack Reynor) and surly, now-teenage son Max (Orén Kinlan).
She can't quite resist the allure of nightclubs and meaningless one-night stands, a respite from her dead-end job as a nanny and the constant arguments with her crime-dabbling son and soon-to-be-ex-husband. As played by luminous up-and-comer Eve Hewson, though, Flora is sympathetic and beguiling, bringing us to her side immediately.
Director John Carney delighted audiences with the Irish romance Once and coming-of-age charmer Sing Street—movies infused with the pure, dopamine pleasure of music, and making music. Carney's latest is another toe-tapping tribute to pop-rock, as Flora decides she’ll learn how to play the guitar—and discovers a way of connecting with husband and son. In a welcome return to the screen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is terrific as Jeff, a long-haired, opinionated Californian rocker who teaches guitar via Zoom.
When Flora thinks she’s falling in love with her long-distance instructor, it makes perfect cinematic sense for Jeff to magically appear next to Flora, encouraging her creative efforts. Carney’s sincerity makes this a winning confection, and Hewson is a real discovery. She’s got a musical pedigree—her father is U2 singer Bono—and lots of dad’s natural charisma and presence, but Hewson has a star quality of her own, creating a heroine who’s imperfect, passionate, vulnerable, yet resilient as well.
Flora’s relationship with Ian (more like squabbling siblings than parent and child) is complex, frustrating, funny, and deeply heartfelt. It’s the solid emotional core of a feel-good film filled with memorable tunes, wry humor, and more than a few joyful tears.
Rated R for profanity, some drug use, and sexual references.
97 minutes