Let me preface this review by saying that ONCE was my favorite film of 2007 and SING STREET made my Top 10 List back in 2016. Suffice it to say, when I heard that John Carney would be back at Sundance 2023 with his newest film, FLORA AND SON, there was simply no way I was going to miss that. As an added bonus, it was a thrill getting to experience this movie with a Sundance crowd, and having Carney and his gifted cast and crew on hand was certainly the icing on the cake. But where does Carney’s latest charmer rank amongst his past efforts? Well, I wouldn’t say I liked it as much as ONCE or SING STREET, but it’s still incredibly entertaining.
FLORA AND SON finds Flora (Eve Hewson of “Bad Sisters” fame), a feisty, headstrong Dublin-residing single mom, passing along a guitar she finds in a dumpster to her son, Max (Oren Kinlan), in the hopes that perhaps it’ll bring them closer together. Initially, it doesn’t so Flora decides to take up guitar lessons herself by way of hiring Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an online American-based instructor whose aspirations of becoming a professional singer/songwriter have been put behind him. At first, Jeff finds Flora’s forwardness a little offputting but shortly thereafter, it becomes clear that these two have genuine chemistry. That said, with complicated lives as individuals and thousands of miles between them, the potential for any sort of meaningful relationship appears highly unlikely. Meanwhile, somewhat shy Max continues to dabble in his love of hip hop music all while trying to bide his time between a mom that he has a hard time connecting with and a musician father (Jack Reynor) who barely spends any time with him at all. Will music save the day? Hmmm…That’s a great question and you’ll just have to see the film to find the answer.
FLORA AND SON is a pretty darn likable movie and it’s fueled by Hewson’s charismatic, attitude-filled performance. She’s an absolute firecracker here and while her Flora can be incredibly selfish and even mean-spirited at times, it’s a testament to Hewson’s pure talent and natural likability as a performer that this tenacious, high-energy character always comes across as more endearing than unlikable. Likewise, Levitt is undeniably warm and charming as Jeff, the instructor who captures Flora’s heart. Together, Hewson and Levitt bring the sparks through terrific acting and a little movie magic.
Elsewhere, Kinlan is wonderfully low-key as young Max while an amusing Reynor hits all the right notes as Flora’s cocksure ex. While we’re on the topic of Reynor, let me just take this opportunity to say that I’m of the humble opinion that he would make a great James Bond!
As for the direction, John Carney is simply a wonderful storyteller, particularly when it comes to his own unique brand of musicals, and he’s such a down-to-Earth personality, that I’ll always be in his corner. The fashion in which he brings Flora and Jeff closer together during their instruction sessions–even though they’re separated by thousands of miles–is creative and magical in a way that can only really happen in the movies.
That said, FLORA AND SON doesn’t quite rise up to the heights of Carney’s very best work and part of the reason for that is that the songs aren’t quite as strong. The tune that Flora and Jeff work on together throughout their budding bond is good, particularly when Flora gets her hooks into it and brings a little Irish attitude to it but whereas I can turn on the soundtracks to ONCE and SING STREET at any time and listen to them for hours on end, I don’t know that the “Flora and Son” soundtrack brings it in the same way. I suppose I was hoping the tunes here would bring more levity to the proceedings in the same way that underappreciated movies like RUDDERLESS and HEARTS BEAT LOUD benefitted from the emotional weight of their respective signature songs. Not that I won’t buy the FLORA AND SON soundtrack the minute it drops, mind you.
Some quibbles aside, I smiled a lot during FLORA AND SON and nearly every step of the way, Hewson is there carrying the movie on her more-than-capable shoulders in what could be best described as a star-making turn. And then there’s the gifted Carney whose likable spirit can be felt all over this thing. These attributes alone make for a movie I look forward to revisiting once it hits theaters later this year.
Watch for more 2023 Sundance Film Festival coverage soon!
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