It seems rare to find an intrinsically “feel-good” movie that genuinely feels good, that actually lifts your spirits without sucrose-laced platitudes and ham-fisted DRAMA. But that’s exactly what Hearts Beat Loud, a new film from writer/director Brett Haley and writer Marc Basch (who previously collaborated on The Hero) achieves. It’s charming, engaging, emotional and funny in all the right places, and it gives off truly infectious good vibes. One would be hard pressed not to leave the theater in a better mood than they went in.
The film follows Frank (Nick Offerman), a single dad and surly record shop owner in a New York City suburb, who clings onto his relationship with daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons), an aspiring doctor and naturally gifted musician, who plans to leave her sleepy hometown for UCLA at the end of summer. During an impromptu jam session, Frank and Sam spontaneously write a song together, titled “Hearts Beat Loud,” and after the tune ends up a new indie mix on Spotify, Frank does all he can to enlist Sam in the formation of a two-piece band (a project he names “We’re Not A Band”). This generates both tension and harmony between father and daughter, as Sam enjoys flexing her musical muscles, but feels Frank is too close to their creative endeavors, given that her mother—another innately talented musician—died young, leaving her father without a songwriting partner. Complicating matters even further, Sam embarks on a summer romance with Rose (Sasha Lane), a local artist and gallery worker who makes it that much more difficult for Sam to move on to the next phase of her life.
Sam, Haley and Bosch give us a fairly straightforward, but no less effective, coming of age narrative. However, they mirror Sam’s journey into the first stages of adulthood with Frank, who for all intents and purposes never fully took this journey himself. He somewhat gave up on his dreams of being a full-time musician by opening his record store, but that didn’t stop him from spending most of his free time recording and jamming in his home studio. It is also clear that, while he is not totally blind to the fact Sam is now almost a grown-up, he put off dealing with her eventual desire to leave the nest as long as he could. Faced with his daughter’s impending departure and the inevitable closing of his record store (due to poor sales and rising rent costs), Frank finds himself at a juncture not terribly different from Sam’s—do you hang on to the life you have, or do you adapt to the ever-changing environment; do you remain motionless, or do you grow up?
Despite these heavy questions, however, Hearts Beat Loud is, simply put, a joyous cinematic experience. Offerman and Clemons both deliver outstanding performances, with Clemons in particular stealing the spotlight with her impressive pipes. The supporting cast, including Ted Danson as Frank’s stoner bartender friend Dave, and Toni Collette as his maybe love interest Leslie, all bring their A-game to the table as well, even though their roles are comparatively small. The songs, written by composer Keegan DeWitt, are genuinely catchy, so when the title track becomes a quiet hit, we one hundred percent believe it. Speaking of DeWitt, his overall score—a blend of synths, simple drum beats, and dreamy, reverb-drenched guitars—effortlessly captures the film’s thematic dichotomy of hope and heartache, love and loss. Music nerds will love playing spot the record cover in Frank’s shop, and will nod their heads in agreement as Frank recommends LP’s to Leslie. It is hands-down a quality, feel-good summer movie, but unlike so many others of its ilk, the good-feels linger long after the film’s end, long after you’ve left the theater, gone home, slept, and plowed on with your life.
Hearts Beat Loud screened as part of the 2018 deadCenter Film Festival. It is also currently playing in select theaters nationwide.
