Flora e hijo

Flora and son follows Flora, a single mom who is at war with her son, Max. Trying to find a hobby for Max, she rescues a guitar from a dumpster and finds that one person's trash can be a family's salvation. The title is a little misleading as it is mostly a movie about Flora trying to navigate raising her son while also falling in love with her online guitar teacher.

I really enjoyed this movie for the most part. The Characters were interesting. Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt had amazing chemistry. And the music. But when the movie ended, I thought that was it? It feels like there should be a part 2 or something. Nothing really gets resolved.

Flora and Son is another feel-good winner from John Carney. A messy Irish single mother, wonderfully played by Eve Hewson, takes up online guitar lessons with a charming LA-based Joseph Gordon-Levitt and learns how to take control of her life and re-connect with her son. Henson delivers a fantastic performance, and Gordon-Levitt is so charming! Carney shows how important music is to our lives and what it can do for so many. Starts off a little generic, but quickly finds its heart and soul. John Carney is simply one of those directors where you can literally see their passion in their work. Exactly what you would expect: Funny, wholesome, and heartfelt with a catchy songs and a proper use of the internet to connect and share art. What more could you want?!

I had the pleasure of prescreening this movie and I was bored by the description but after watching this movie, it is easily one of my favorite movies I have watched in a long time. I cried, I laughed, I smiled, I rolled my eyes and cringed. It was amazing! The description makes it seem boring and cheesy and I wont lie. It is a bit cheesy but that is what made it so amazing to me. The son's cringy rap, the overwhelmed Mom, the awkward dynamic between Flora and her ex. So many relatable scenes.

There are a few scenes I sobbed over and the end was just a really beautiful scene.

A great movie and I personally enjoyed the music(Even the cringy rap).

This movie has plenty of flaws and cliches...and I did not care all that much. Carney has this way of using music to overcome an audience's resistance. I was like, "This is worse than 'Begin, Again,'" and, "Well, it ain't 'Sing Street.'" But then a mother and son started making music together. And I was cooked. This is basically "Hearts Beat Loud" but Irish and with more familial antagonism. Is it Carney's best? Nope. Not even close. Some of the Joseph Gordon Levitt scenes were downright laughable (not to mention cringy). But it says something when the moments and performances are enough to overcome all (or most of) the flaws. Hewson especially kills it. She takes something fairly stereotypical and transforms it into a complex character that can carry a film. This movie may not be perfect, but that doesn't mean it is any less enjoyable.

John Carney who brought us the excellent Sing Street (2016) and the lovely Once (2007,) gives us another cracking musically centred tale around single mother Flora and her teenage son Max. Eve Hewson is fabulous as Flora and young Oren Kinlan is perfect as Max. There's also a lovely performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jeff, Flora's guitar teacher. There's elements of whimsy, romance, social realism, comedy and eclectic music thrown in along the way. Whilst some of the plot towards the end seems a little far fetched overall this is an enjoyable and life affirming film that deserves a wide audience.