Power Ballad (2026)

The best song in Power Ballad gets lifted in the first act, and the movie is almost too mellow to stay mad about it. That’s the problem. Rick Power’s fight for credit on his own tune should sting, but John Carney keeps everything soft and sunny, so the stakes feel like an argument over the last slice of wedding cake. What carries it is the pair. Paul Rudd plays Rick as a Dublin wedding singer who long ago swapped his stardom dreams for first dances, until he hears his song blasting in a shop. Nick Jonas is sharp casting as Danny, a boy-band alum who is charming, a little desperate and short on material. Their all-night jam after a castle wedding is the best scene, two guys realizing they actually like each other. It made $3.8 million worldwide on a reported $10M. A 7.0 because the pair are lovely together, even when the fight has no teeth. $5,789 says you sing into your phone’s voice memos in the car tonight and guard the file like a royalty check.

What works: Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas have easy, generous chemistry, and the late-night jam after the castle wedding feels like two musicians actually clicking.

What doesn’t: The fight over the song stays so gentle and mellow that even the big confrontation in Los Angeles barely raises the temperature.

Who it’s for: Anyone who has played in a wedding band, or wanted to, and fans of low-key music movies where the big showdown is about songwriting credit.