The High Note
Okay, I’m going to be completely honest. Whenever I see the name Ice Cube on a film poster or DVD cover, my knee-jerk reaction is to start hemorrhaging out of my eyeballs. And when I’m presented with a film whose central theme is music, I can’t help but think ‘Oh God, not another screen musical!’ Readers will be right in guessing I have a somewhat strained relationship with the genre. Frankly, I’m still recovering from 2014’s Into the Woods, which I only managed to survive by gnawing my own leg off and hitting myself over the head with it.
You may be pleasantly surprised to know, as was I, that this is a film about music, not a musical. And an enjoyable, if not slightly predictable, one at that. At no point did anyone start prancing around, singing about what they had for breakfast and that they were now going for a walk (scintillating stuff). Thank the film gods.
The High Note centers around the belittled, overworked, and criminally underappreciated Maggie/Margaret as she jumps hoops for her mega music star, egotistical woman-baby boss, Grace, in the hope of getting her ‘big shot’ at being a music producer in a world of pretentiousness and grandeur. Dakota Johnson puts in an authentic, endearing, and subtly comedic performance. Maggie was by far the strongest character in the whole text, unknown to her, so I was interested to see what possible arc she could take.
Overall, the humour is subtle and well delivered, not falling into the trap of being hammy and drawn out that most American humour seems to do.
Grace (Tracee Ellis Ross), who can’t do anything for herself apart from sing, initially seems two dimensional but is portrayed with a sense of longing and shrouded insecurity. The film includes two impressive vocal performances by Tracee Ellis Ross and love interest David (Kelvin Harrison Jnr). The romantic split could have worked harder but served the purpose/formula of the story.
Visually there is nothing too special, except for the opening montage and a few frames in the third act. The film relies on the grandeur and opulence of its setting to wow the audience.
Overall, a surprisingly enjoyable film with a bit of wit and a non-preachy feel-good vibe, but with a predictable conclusion.
Rating: M Suitable for mature audiences 16 years and over.
GEEKERY rating: 3/5
