Power Ballad hits the cinematic charts with a bang.

Rudd lends a level of charisma and a paradoxically grizzled youthfulness that make Rick’s ambitions and idealism seem plausible.

You never doubt the sincerity of Carney’s movies and the earnestness of their emotions. But all of that crumbles if the music doesn’t deliver.

The acting is strong by Rudd, Jonas, Peter McDonald, Marcella Plunkett, Beth Fallon and Jack Reynor. John Carney's direction is solid, and, as usual for a Carney film, this movie has a killer soundtrack.