It's taken me longer to get around to writing this than it should have. I've been putting it off since there just isn't a lot I feel I have to say. The film is good. It tells a reasonably uncomplicated story in a pleasant way, but never quite becomes anything truly memorable or transcendent.
There are moments of promise. Some of the musical sequences, while not as vigorous as the full blown numbers featured in many musicals, do have a great energy to them. That energy isn't always consistent, though, and it doesn't build throughout the film.
The characters are typically well drawn, but some aspects of the storyline feel, if not clichéd, at least too convenient. The main character, for instance, finds himself fired from an independent record company that he co-founded. The film never really addresses the question of how he can be ousted from his own company. I don't want a lesson on business practices, but the brief throwaway line that was offered as explanation didn't cut it for me. The real reason, of course, is that it's necessary for the film's plot to be set in motion, but I think it could have been handled in a more elegant way. There's also a moment later on where part of the same character's backstory is revealed, making him more sympathetic and some of his faults more understandable. The reveal is done by the character himself relating the story. It would have been better if the filmmakers had made the reveal more gradual and found a way to show it to the audience. Having the character verbally relay the information in its entirety is lazy storytelling. Other moments like these don't sink the film by any means, but they do play a part in making it largely unmemorable.
I also had a problem with the scenes shown during the end credits. They were actually important to the plot, clarifying and even changing my ideas of what happened once the film had faded to black. The original ending is fairly open ended, with plenty left up to interpretation. The filmmakers should have picked one approach. Either go with the open-ended conclusion, or provide closure before the credits roll. I have nothing against scenes during or after the end credits of films, but I don't think they should be important to the plot--scenes like that belong in the movie proper. At least they didn't do what a couple other films have done this year: put the words "The End" on the screen, then immediately cut to another scene before the credits even begin. That really baffles me.
This review seems harsher than my reaction to the film actually was. I think it was good and I did enjoy it. I was just frustrated by a feeling that it could have been something better, yet was content not to be.
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