In case you forgot that Paul Rudd’s a star, Power Ballad—an affable yet bland dramedy about a wedding singer who gets ripped off by Nick Jonas, who plays an ex-boy-band pop star—is here to remind you of his virtues. Rudd, and to a lesser extent Jonas, set the pace for this light and fitfully likable tribute to Gen X and dad-rock values, things like fighting for personal vindication (instead of money) and dedicating everything you do (creatively) to your teenage daughter. Sadly, the latest musical effort from co-writer/director John Carney (Once, Sing Street) is weirdly bereft of memorable jokes since, for the most part, the characters that Rudd and Jonas play are too likable to be credibly desperate, obnoxious, funny, or, really, human. While Power Ballad is sometimes a good enough hang, especially during its opening half, its sitcom humor never rises to its stars’ level.
For starters, while Rudd’s sulking everyman is actually named Rick Power, there are somehow no jokes about that shamelessly corny choice. Everything we know about Rick and the other members of his sturdy but unambitious wedding cover band, The Bride And Groove, is spelled out in a handful of canned interactions, like when his jaded but professional bandmate Binzer (Rory Keenan) reminds Rick that wedding guests only want them to play the hits. “We’re not rock stars, we’re human jukeboxes,” he says. “Remember that.”
Rick soon rejects Binzer’s defeatist attitude following an intimate, pot-and-booze-fueled all-nighter with pop star Danny Wilson (Jonas), a guest at one of the Bride And Groove’s gigs. Danny’s sincerity disarms Rick, and the two wind up playing and completing each other’s songs. Then Danny steals one of Rick’s original tunes and rewrites it as a chart-topping single, ironically titled “How To Write A Song Without You.”
Rick spends the rest of the movie stewing in resentment as everyone scoffs at Rick’s tenuous claim to fame. The only ones who kinda, sorta believe Rick are his loyal pal Sandy (co-writer Peter McDonald) and his 14 year-old daughter Aja (Beth Fallon). Somehow, there are no Steely Dan jokes in Power Ballad, though there is an AC/DC needle drop, and yes, that would predictably be “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)”.
Rick’s quest for validation might have been more amusing or eventful if more of the jokes were on him and his fellow also-ran dad rockers. It’s no coincidence that the funniest part of Power Ballad is an early bit where Rick wonders aloud if he and his group are stoned or just getting old when they can’t remember the name of Danny’s old band. Is it Irreparable? Insufferable?? No, Impossible! Then everyone but Danny sings along with one of Impossible’s big hits, even if they don’t know all of the words.
Rick also shows nothing but respect for Danny during their night-long jam sesh, even when they try to come up with a “boy band song” together and Rick very mildly spices up some improvised lyrics with crude but harmless sexual references. Rudd’s character still winds up taking Danny to task later on, delivering a sanctimonious but insubstantial litany of suggestions for the callow, but never villainous Danny.
But Power Ballad‘s not really about Danny, though he does whine about the pressure he faces as a pop star later on. More attention is paid to Rick and his wayward efforts to figure out what he wants from his music. That’s a great premise, or it would be if Rick’s character weren’t only suggested by Rudd’s typically charming performance. Rudd carries the movie for the most part, which is a shame given how engaged Jonas is by his mostly one-note role. Rudd at least gets enough screentime to hint at his troubled nice-guy antihero’s motivating dissatisfaction. There’s still never enough time spared for character development between the script’s lightly complicating twists and contrivances.
Eventually it becomes clear that Rick’s not a strong enough hook to hang an entire picture on. More of an idea for a character than Carney’s typical musical leads, he constantly threatens to go to a darker place than he ever does. Rudd and McDonald also don’t have much buddy chemistry, so maybe it’s not surprising that, when the plot reaches its climactic head, it never feels urgent enough to warrant all the goodwill and sympathy that Rudd’s performance generates for Rick.
At minimum, Power Ballad graces viewers with a couple of visually dynamic musical performances, where Rudd leads the Bride And Groove in covers like Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration.” Unfortunately, even those scenes put their finger squarely on what’s missing from the rest of the movie, namely a focus on the interplay between Rudd and his co-stars. Rick not only seems disconnected from his friends and loved ones, but from his own motives, like when he mysteriously observes that he doesn’t want Danny’s money, but rather “the truth.” About what, though, and why? It’s because of this that it’s hard to tell what Power Ballad‘s about beyond its wispy platitudes, but hey, at least it’s Paul Rudd in something besides an Ant-Man sequel.
Director: John Carney
Writer: John Carney, Peter McDonald
Starring: Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas, Havana Rose Liu, Jack Reynor
Release Date: May 29, 2026
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