Hearts Beat Loud (Review)
Hearts Beat Loud is the Movie We Need Right Now!
I’m just going to go ahead and say it, Hearts Beat Loud is probably the best film I’ve seen so far in 2018. In a time of uncertainty and rampant hatred and intolerance, this film offers audiences everything they could want out of a trip to theaters. It’s a feel-good movie that will not only speak to millennials but to all every other generation as well. At its core, Hearts Beat Loud is a family film that features a family that is a little less than traditional.
Nick Offerman gained notoriety for his role in the series Parks and Recreation where he plays the curmudgeonly Ron Swanson. It’s little wonder because no one does curmudgeonly quite like Offerman. In Hearts Beat Loud he taps into that to a lesser extent as a record store owner who has little time for those with poor taste in music. For him, the principal of the matter is more important than the profit, which is why his store is probably failing. He doesn’t have time to wallow in self-pity though, because as a single father he’s got his hands full raising his daughter (Kiersey Clemons). Rather he has is hands full trying to get his uber responsible daughter to goof off with him. She’s an apple that has fallen far from the tree in almost every way except for her talent when it comes to music. This is a passion that she shares with her father, but one that she is trying to leave behind as she prepares to go off to college and become an adult.
The success of Hearts Beat Loud lies in the chemistry between Offerman and Clemons, who are simply delightful together. The two seem very much at odds when it comes to many things, but there is never any sort of disdain between them. Rather it’s typical teenage rebellion clashing with Peter Pan syndrome. Deep down it’s clear that these two love each other a great deal and this shines most when they make music together. I’ve never seen Offerman give a better performance and after seeing this film, I’m expecting big things from Clemons in the future.
As great as the acting is in the film, it’s the music that really got to me. Offerman pushes his daughter to form a band with him and the two collaborate on an amazing song together that gains notoriety on Spotify. Together they become ‘We Are Not A Band’ and the only disappointing part of their duet is that I couldn’t find the songs on Spotify myself after seeing the film. The music they make together is heart filled and passionate without being overly sentimental. Not only that but watching the two work to make a professional sounding track with just two musicians is fascinating. The amount of talent portrayed is enough for the characters to gain immediate respect and admiration, and the confidence they show makes the performances believable. Though in actuality the original songs are by Keegan DeWitt.
While Hearts Beat Loud might seem like it’s all about the music, this is just the cornerstone of the relationship between father and daughter. Both as facing times of great change in their lives and both seem lost in what the future might hold for them. Offerman is closing his shop and seeing his daughter prepare to depart for college marking the end of a chapter for him. At the same time, Clemont is trying to figure out what she really wants from life and whether to follow her head or her heart. At the same time, both are facing new romantic relationships in the form of Toni Collette and Sasha Lane. Despite their differences, the similarities between the two characters and their journeys are obvious without being blatant. Both seem uncertain and scared of what the future might hold, but as one character so wisely puts it, “You have to be brave before you can be good.”
What I love most about Hearts Beat Loud though is that it is very much a modern American family. Offerman’s wife has long since passed away leaving him to raise a daughter who is half black. The fact that his daughter has so much diversity to face in her life seems like she is the exact opposite of Offerman and his laid-back attitude. Toss in the fact that she’s gay and it would seem like the two might have nothing in common at all. That’s not the case though and Offerman loves his daughter with unquestioning support and acceptance. In fact, the only thing he seems to hold against her is that she is just so damn responsible all the time. This choice by director/writer Brett Haley and co-writer Marc Basch filled my heart with joy because it’s clearly a message about diversity in general. Offerman’s daughter is so different from him in so many ways, but that doesn’t phase him a bit. He’s exactly how every cis-white male should be.
I can’t recommend Hearts Beat Loudly enough. It’s a film that constantly put a smile on my face and I adored everything about it. It’s not often that you get a chance to see a movie the is both happy and sad in all the right ways, and this just goes to show how masterful both Haley and Basch are when it comes to storytelling. It was a privilege to see this movie and if you get the chance to see Hearts Beat Loud, I hope you feel the same way by the end of it.
