Flora and Son

Another sweet, likable slice of life salted with a hefty sprinkling of music from director John Carney.

Eve Hewson (Bono's daughter) does a fair job of making an exasperating character winning, and she and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays her guitar teacher/love interest, have some serious chemistry together, no mean feat given that their characters interact entirely via video conferencing (though Carney does throw in some inventive flourishes to get around that obstacle). If it all ends a little too patly, and it seems like everyone a little too easily gets what they want, well, I don't watch these kinds of movies for how realistic they are, but rather how I'd like to think the world could be.

Grade: B+

I really liked this movie but it is no "Once." Still it touched my heart on many levels. The relationships and the music seem apropos for the these times. Good character development and good music. A much needed break from all the violence and chaos that seems to permeate modern cinema. Plus, it is shot in Dublin. It brought back memories of my visits to that fine music city. Bono's daughter is a strong actress with a bright future.

You may be annoyed with her at first...she is pretty unlikeable...but that is the point. It is about redemption, and starting your life again. We are never too old to learn new tricks.

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.

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.

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.