By Joe Hammerschmidt
[NOTE: This film was reviewed during the 2018 Seattle International Film Festival]
Once in a blue moon (figuratively speaking), I will come across a film that can remind me of a simpler time and allow for a reconnection with my younger self. A certain element of my identity that was always keener to discover, grow as a person, acquire particular tastes. Writer/director Brett Haley, who had made three straight SIFF appearances now, previously with 2015’s ensemble favorite I’ll See You in My Dreams, and last year’s The Hero (a career-defining film for Sam Elliot), has proven his love for a fantastic story that can best reflect ourselves at a time of pure discovery for what we can become. His latest, Hearts Beat Loud, rolling out over the summer and opening on Seattle screens this week is another example of that common quirk. All this is leading up to me potentially saying, it’s this generation’s High Fidelity. But I can assure you, it’s far more than what a common comparison may say, which only incorporates a little more added joy in the viewing experience.
It’s Brooklyn in mid-summer, a part of the year where music does manage to flow like honey. In the first instance of whether Hearts could play like a new generational equivalent to the above-mentioned John Cusack film, Nick Offerman is as far away from the Ron Swanson motif as humanly possible, trading gruff for never growing up. He portrays small business owner Frank Fisher, still a bit of a big kid too afraid to let go of daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons), about to take off for med school, despite lack of available tuition. Make matters worse, his record store is on its last legs, facing closure. His landlord Leslie (Toni Collette) is doing everything in her power to give the business a second life, yet his stubbornness wins out far too well. He instead focuses much of his energy on the remaining leisurely pursuits, weekly jam sessions he shares with the kid, her lyrics driving a collaboration with his multi-instrumental prowess. That does get the idea wheels turning just a tad when one finished recording finds its way onto Spotify, and all hell breaks open. Think in terms of a crowbar prying through a wooden crate.
Haley is known to complicate the simplest of human relationships, by clipping on added trouble on both sides. For Frank, there’s his favorite bartender Dave (Ted Danson, proven not to be a great bartender in real life, despite 35 years of a clever mystique through Cheers) as a cheering section. Meanwhile, any attempt to win Leslie’s heart is challenged with the sudden return of one of her exes, the charismatic Ryan (Quincy Dunn-Baker). Sam just has a burgeoning relationship with a girl named Rose (Sasha Lane), but the musical side project makes it a little tougher to keep afloat. Father and daughter do have the added stress of his aging mother Marianne (Blythe Danner), who by now is a bit of a liability with a criminal record. That alone was enough to get me smiling, just to see Danner again in one of Haley’s films.
And therein lies the honest joy of Hearts Beat Loud, the value of collaboration Haley insists upon with his actors, and with composer Keegan Dewitt, mirrored strongly in that bond between Frank and Sam. The original music one will hear, it’s impossible not to find it purely infectious, maybe even Oscar-worthy by year’s end. It was enough for me, at least, to consider dancing in the aisles. That’s certainly due in part to Offerman and Clemons’s shared performances. One was already a comfortable enough guitar-based performer and humorist, the other with a fantastic voice. They each had to add a few new instruments to their skillset for this work, it felt like second nature with the time spent to practice. The result falls with their emotional range heightened further, ever so blissfully. For Offerman, especially, he finally takes on a leading man role with the confidence of a seasoned veteran, no longer settled for just the anti-hero that grows into a fan favorite. Here, he instantly evolves into a classic character, one would be a fool not to properly recognize against Mr. Swanson.
Of course, Collette is no slouch, delivering one of two complex character-driven roles this summer. As of the time of this review being published, I have yet to see Hereditary, but it would still be quite unfair to stack the two up against one another, considering how different they both are. She may be no stranger to heartfelt, human comedies, so she remains ever the curious optimist, with a bubbly personality but plenty of bite surrounding her demeanor. Looking out for the best out of Frank, wanting him to succeed, it did get me smiling a little just how unrelenting she is, even when his attempts at more than a friendship/business partnership appear to fizzle around them. By now, some of you reading this may have already gotten around to the aforementioned suspense thriller, so even more reason to witness Collette in a more upbeat manner, as a pure reflection of her abilities as an actress, never satisfied to just one genre. Not to mention, Danson is in his truest element, back behind a bar after a 25-year hiatus and returning to a film role after mostly staying focused on the TV side this decade. It may have been a rather small part, but he often encouraged some of the more honest moments of humor throughout, a churning tsunami of home-spun wisdom with no chance of stopping. Perhaps another reason for me to finally take a chance on his current series The Good Place if we could certainly agree his acting craft is one only improving with age.
Whether or not one’s familiar with the work of Brett Haley, that shouldn’t matter, though his last two films are complete gems which deserve equal attention. The common thread between all three, aside from the fun of working with many of the same people again, is the honest humanity we witness. To accomplish that by way of an impressive soundtrack and determined characters whom we’d be awash to see do well in their lives, that’s a natural feat in itself. You’d be a fool to resist the charms of Hearts Beat Loud, as it runs to the beat of its own rhythm, one that may not be easy to uncover in other comedies we’ll see this summer. In many ways, it is an easygoing triumph for the soul, laid back like its lead, but unafraid to show its empathic spine. Give it a chance, allow your spirit a jolt of unbridled happiness, and if one needs to sing along to the soundtrack afterward from the top of their lungs, I will not judge. (A-)
Hearts Beat Loud opens on Seattle screens this weekend; SIFF Cinema Uptown and AMC Seattle 10; rated PG-13 for some drug references and brief language; 97 minutes.
