Hey guys and here I am with a new 2020 review! This time I will be taking a look at another film that was supposed to release theatrically last year but instead had to settle for a VOD release, The High Note. It was among the smaller films that were released in this fashion and apparently the screenplay was considered one of the best unproduced scripts of that year according to the 2018 Black list. Directing it is Nisha Ganatra who got strong critical notices recently with her 2019 film, Late Night, which I’ve heard a number of good things about (unfortunately haven’t had the chance to check it out as of this review). As for The High Note well it did get a pretty solid reception from people and critics who saw it and I simply thought it would be neat to check it out as I do like the cast that was assembled for this one. Fortunately I did end up enjoying it quite a bit! So now let’s turn up the music and see what I liked about this small but solid movie that achieves what it’s going for nicely.
The story follows one Maggie Sherwood, an aspiring music producer who is currently the personal assistant of Grace Davis, and extremely famous R&B singer who has found success in touring even if she is lacking in any recent new albums. This is something her manager approves of as he feels that her time might’ve passed by now, something Maggie doesn’t agree with all that much as she sees great potential in Grace, potential not many others seem to realize, even Grace herself. Still she struggles to try and become a music producer despite the talent and experience she has. Still though things do brighten up for her as she meets an aspiring musician named David Cliff whom she begins to romantically connect with while also seeing him as her opportunity to prove herself as a good music producer.
When it comes to the basic premise of this movie, it is admittedly simple and definitely has some familiar elements about it but I still found it to be solid that may be small in it’s ambitions and goals but succeeds at what it’s going for nonetheless. It’s one of those movies that’s much more focused on character rather than story and the focus is always on these people namely Maggie and occasionally Grace) as we see the conflicts their going through and what they aspire to be/do. The pacing is actually really relaxing as it mostly takes it’s time in developing the characters and investing the audience in the world and their arcs. This type of movie may not be for everyone but I tend to really like these sorts of character centric stories and when it comes to this one I found the proceedings mostly engaging. Now the marketing for this movie made it seem that it was about the relationship between Maggie and Grace, when the focus is really on the romance between Maggie and David. That could take some off guard but for me I already knew beforehand that that was the case so it didn’t really take me by surprise and I did end up liking both plotlines. I thought the romance was nice and had some strong chemistry from the two leads while the Maggie and Grace relationship was also fun as it provided a lot of the comedy which did land for me and the two had an interesting dynamic. The latter was admittedly the more interesting of the two and I honestly would’ve liked to have seen more of it but I think both work well for what their going for and the movie does a good job of showing a side of the music industry that doesn’t get as much attention as those at the front of it all. The drama works for the most and is refreshingly grounded while the characters have something about them that makes them compelling/interesting while also having some flaws to them. One thing that did feel a little weird was a reveal in the third act that turned out to be a really big coincidence and while I think it worked within the context of the movie and it did lead to some strong final moments, I just felt that the way it was done felt a little odd. Still a solidly told story that succeeds at the modest goals it sets for itself and it’s just the type of relaxing character study I enjoy watching.
Naturally a movie all about the music business is going to have some music in it and I did like the songs that were made for this movie. They all are nice to listen to and are used rather effectively throughout the movie with “Like I Do” being the stand out in that regard. I even liked how they showed some of the songs being written and practiced by those singing them as it felt we were experiencing them like the characters and Ganatra does a solid job handling those scenes capturing the intimacy of certain moments really well. It’s not the most flashiest film in terms of style and directing but that honestly works in the film’s favor. Plus it is a nice one to look at as it’s shot in a way where the colors pop out more in certain places. Yet good craftsmanship means even more when the characters and performances are engaging and I do feel like that is the case here. Dakota Johnson once again proves herself to be a very promising up and coming talent as she does good work as Maggie making her into a character whom the audience can sympathize with, yet is also flawed in many ways that make her feel real, as her know all about being a producer attitude can be called out on a number of occasions. She also has very strong chemistry with both David and Grace. Kelvin Harrison Jr. is very good as her would be love interest and the two have a strong romantic connection due to their shared love of music that just made it feel real and nice to watch unfold and he’s also a good character in his own right as Maggie tries and help him to become a full fledged musician. However it is Tracee Ellis Ross as the latter that is the stand out. She’s just a lot of fun as this middle aged music star with a bit of sass and sarcasm and she is responsible for some of the biggest laughs as well as quite a few of the more effective emotional beats and I really like the relationship between her and Maggie. The rest of the cast is full of familiar faces such as Ice Cube who plays Grace’s manager, Jack, who brings his usual charisma yet also does a good job playing things seriously and he is usually the one who calls Maggie out a number of occasion but for valid reasons, Zoe Chao gets her moments as Maggie’s sarcastic roommate, Katie, and June Raphael Davis is also amusing as Grace’s other, less intelligent assistant, Gail. There are also plenty of neat little surprise appearances from a number of familiar faces like Eddie Izzard (as Dan Deakins, another famous star in the world of the movie) and Bill Pullman (as Maggie’s radio host father, Max). On the whole everyone does give good performances and they help make things all the more compelling.
In the end I thoroughly enjoyed The High Note as it’s just a really pleasant watch that may be familiar and have a couple of storytelling issues like a twist that could’ve been handled better and more focus dedicated to Maggie and Grace’s working relationship. Yet for the most part it’s still well told on the whole with a relaxing pace, a solid romance, some really good music, it’s well crafted, it has a good characters, and it’s well acted by all. It’s not trying to break new ground and it doesn’t need too because it succeeds at what it sets out to do and is just a darn good little movie. I can understand the decision to send it to VOD as it probably would not have made much noise at the box office but it’s still a very solid watch that I can see myself seeing again if it’s on TV. It also makes me want to see what else Nisha Ganatra will tackle next.
Rating: B+
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