One filmmaker who truly is an auteur (for those who use such words) is John Carney. An auteur is a director whose singular vision becomes synonymous with their films. Audiences recognize their unique visuals, typical plots, cinematography, colour palettes, dialogue, or other cinematic elements. Essentially, talking about auteurs is a way of talking about film. John Carney is no exception to the theory of auteurs. His musical films are recognizable as Carney originals — usually featuring at least one embittered, disillusioned musician fed up with the state of music in their lives, not to mention the world in general. But it’s not the look of his work that stands out the most, it’s the sound. He’s known for originally being a member of the Irish band The Frames, for poignant melodies, and earnest performances from actors singing with their own voices. Music that feels good to listen to, sometimes written by the director himself. In his latest Certified Fun (I’ve decided my film metric is Certified Fun or Certified Not A Good Hang) musical dramedy, Paul Rudd is playing against type as world-weary wedding singer Rick, who can’t catch his big break. One night at a particularly fancy wedding, he meets former-boy-band-member Danny played by Nick Jonas, and they sing a duet of Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish.” Chemistry established, Danny hosts their late-night, alcohol-fueled jam session in his cavernous hotel suite. Rudd and Jonas are believable as musicians. The way they bring fresh perspectives to each other’s songs-in-process — suggesting edits to lyrics, swapping strategies for creating appeal. They encourage each other to keep going, even when it seems stupid and futile. It’s a great scene. It’s not a spoiler to say (it’s in the trailer), one of the songs Rick shares in his vulnerable, drunken stupor ends up on the radio with Danny’s name as the artist. While the film itself just recently left theatres, we do have the soundtrack available on Hoopla here, and the songs were co-written by Carney. If you’re a fan of such things as soundtracks, may I direct you to this blog post, by the way?

Another classic Carney plot element is parent/child relationships. While there are often romances, bromances, and other friendships as well, there’s usually always one central parent/child dynamic that acts as a tentpole for the whole thing. In Power Ballad, it’s Rudd’s relationship with his disapproving daughter who, it must be said, is unnecessarily dour and disinterested in him. Working backwards from Power Ballad (2026), Carney’s penultimate movie was Flora and Son. An Apple TV release that I’m pretty sure virtually no one watched, it’s another heartwarming tale (albeit more of a snack than a meal) featuring the catchy tunes I’ve come to expect from the director. Carney co-wrote the songs here too. This one features Eve Hewson (also known as Bono’s daughter) in the titular role, struggling to drag her son Max out of the depths of disfunction. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays her love interest, and the requisite unsuccessful musician. I won’t go too much into this one because it’s not available in our catalogue and only on Apple TV, but if you get an opportunity to watch it, it’s not a bad choice for light viewing.

Then comes Begin Again. One of my favourites of his, I have to say. Disappointing though it is that the world will never embrace romantic comedies the way I wish it would, this one in particular I wish more people knew about. Again, music is at the heart of it, bopping along with a fizzy lightness that belies the main characters’ experiences of heartbreak. Keira Knightley sings in this film, holding her own beside the expertly-cast Adam Levine as her smarmy boyfriend. The latter is just about to be given the keys to everything alongside a recording contract from his new label. After a rough day, Knightley is coerced into performing at an open mic by her friend Steve, played by James Corden. It’s there that Mark Ruffalo makes a horrible first impression — a washed-up record executive who thinks he knows everything about Knightley’s Gretta after listening to her sing for a few minutes. Although there is a will-they-won’t-they between Knightley and Ruffalo, music is the most compelling part of the film. Writing music, coming up with arrangements, recording music, the intentions that colour the sound, the experiences that motivate you to write, the choices artists make when they package themselves for distribution. On top of good acting (even Adam Levine does well here), the music just genuinely demands to be heard and enjoyed. Snatches of New York remind you that it still exists, still amazing, albeit sweltering in the summer heat.

I have to dash, so I’ll have to leave it there for now. I’ll be back soon though, later this month for more. I hope you’re staying cool in this summer heat. Take care. Talk soon.