Look, we’re very much in the summer movie season on the 2026 movie release calendar, which means there are big-budget action movies and scary films galore. But sometimes we just want to go to the movie to feel big emotions, and that’s exactly what happened when I checked out Power Ballad this week.
The music-focused comedy comes from writer/director John Carney, whom I've loved following over the years. He most notably made the 2007 movie Once and a movie with Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo I’ve watched a ton of times called Begin Again. So, I was excited to see his latest movie starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas. Here are the two big emotions I felt while watching it:
I Was Shocked At The Shots It Fires At Boy Band Members
Now, I absolutely grew up loving the Jonas Brothers. When I was younger, I got all their albums and was a fan of the Camp Rock movies. As I’ve gotten older, I know that boy bands like them seem to lack a certain edge that other music acts have. So, it’s completely understandable that Paul Rudd’s character of Rick Power, a longtime rocker who settled down in Ireland, had a daughter and now fronts a wedding band, might scoff at a member of a boy band. However, this movie is sort of hilariously brutal about its commentary on boy bands... especially when members try to find their own footing outside their group.
Nick Jonas plays a former boy band member named Danny Wilson who is attending a wedding that Rick’s band happens to be playing at. Since the movie stars one of the biggest members of a boy band, I thought the movie might be soft about these types of guys, but the movie gets real real with the boy band jokes/commentary. I guess I should not be surprised given the Jonas Brothers often not taking themselves too seriously and letting the jokes fly, most recently in their Christmas movie, but still!
Nick Jonas seems nothing like the character he plays, who ends up stealing Rick’s 20-year-old song to launch his solo career. Part of me just couldn’t believe the movie exists, given the conversations that occur that must have hit home to his own life to some degree. His role had a real layered depth to it. I could feel for the guy, but man, is he a jerk in this movie, too!
The Journey Of Paul Rudd’s Character Warmed My Heart
In contrast to the shock I felt watching Power Ballad, this movie also gave me warm and fuzzy feelings. Basically, the setup is that Rick and Danny have a wild night where they bond over music, while drinking a lot, and end up jamming together. They basically both want what the other has, and Danny ends up stealing Rick’s song after he plays it for him that night. When it becomes a massive global hit, they both have to wrestle with what they wish they had from the other person.
For Rick, he’s a proud dad of a teenage girl who’s being very teen-like lately. A long time ago, when he met her mom and they decided to get married and become parents, Rick decided to give up his dream of being a rockstar. When he sees his idea become a pop sensation, he starts to think over what could have been. I won’t get into the details of what plays out during the movie, but it ends up being a super feel-good story about his life as a parent that’s going to stick with me for a while.
Power Ballad is now playing in select theaters and going wide next weekend.
