Hearts Beat Loud

By: Jennifer Verzuh

I would love to say the movie Hearts Beat Loud is special, the feel-good flick of the Summer or hail it as this year’s Sing Street. But I can’t. While it’s not an entirely unenjoyable way to spend ninety-seven minutes, it feels remarkably uninventive or fresh and I don’t think anyone will remember this one come the end of the year. I have a feeling I’ll have already forgotten it by the end of the week. Though the movie certainly has its moments that will have you tapping your feet and smiling, I have to say that Hearts Beat Loud feels haphazardly constructed and uneven.

It’s a shame this film isn’t better because it has all the right ingredients to be a breakout indie gem: a great cast assembled specifically for this kind of audience led by Nick Offerman, a semi-touching parent-child relationship at its core, a sweet romance, Brooklyn neighborhood setting and a pretty great soundtrack (with strong original and indie rock tracks). But, unfortunately, the film has too much going on and none of its threads get the time to be properly explored and enjoyed.

Based on the advertisements, one might assume the film to be about a band a father forms with his daughter. But it’s not. Well, not really. Sam (Kiersey Clemons) is a young woman in her last Summer before heading to college across the country. She’s really close with her widowed father Frank (Offerman), a record store owner and music lover, who was once in a band himself that was never quite successful. While she also clearly loves and has talent for music, it’s a hobby for her, not a dream career for her as she looks forward to going to school and pursuing a career as a doctor. However, after a jam session one night they churn out a song that has hit potential, spurring Frank to encourage her to take a leap and create a band with him, an idea which she spends the majority of the film resisting. And although it fits her character, I can’t help think the film would have been significantly more enjoyable had they just formed a band and we followed that journey.

The film also attempts (not entirely successfully) to include the following subplots: a blossoming summer romance between Sam and another young female artist (Sasha Lane), Sam and Frank continuing to grieve over the loss of her mother/his wife from an accident years ago, Frank’s store possibly going out of business, his mother becoming increasingly dependent on them and his friendship/potential relationship with his landlord Leslie (Toni Collette). We also have a woefully underutilized Ted Danson thrown in as the local bartender and Frank’s friend. His character felt like such a cliché that I’d have rather him scratched entirely, even if that means losing the novelty of seeing Danson wear a Hawaiian shirt and talk about getting high. The cast though is one of the film’s saving graces.

Above all else, the film really serves to be a showcase for Offerman. While he has had plenty of film roles, he hasn’t had to lead a movie like this before. And he’s great. He exudes charm and energy. It’s a complete departure from his stoic, no-nonsense performance in “Parks and Recreation,” which makes it all that more fun to watch. And he’s a capable musician, as well. Kiersey Clemons is also really great here and they share a wonderful chemistry. One really believes their familial connection, both in their tender moments and when they fight. She also announces herself as quite the singer. Collette and Lane are lovely in their roles too, but like Danson one can’t help but wish they had more to do.

The film is strongest in its musical moments, whether the musical performances themselves (which are the best directed and shot of the entire movie), Offerman just jamming out solo on his guitar or characters recommending artists and albums to one another. One particularly joyful moment that comes to mind is Leslie, clearly tipsy, karaoking to “Bruises” by the band Chairlift. And the songs from the father-daughter duo really are great with strong, catchy beats and emotional lyrics. The only problem is writer-director Brett Haley (I’ll See You In My Dreams, The Hero) does a poor job of spacing them out. We hear their first song, the titular “Hearts Beat Loud,” at least half dozen times along with one other from Offerman alone for the first hour. It isn’t until the film’s big finale that we’re treated to the others.

While each individual segment offered here (i.e. the love story, the band and the family bonds), are all sweet and interesting, ultimately trying to fit them all into one movie robs it of the simplicity and sweetness a movie like this deserves. There was certainly possibility here (which still shines through at times); however, in the end the film is disappointing and really worth seeing on the merits of the cast alone as the filmmaker’s direction and writing were scattered and, ironically enough, seemingly lacked real heart.