Hearts Beat Loud Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Hearts Beat Loud Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 21, 2018

No matter what type of business “Hearts Beat Loud” does with Blu-ray sales, the film is guaranteed to find its audience one way or another. It’s a sensitive endeavor about the communicative aspects of musicianship and songwriting, and it’s similar to smaller movies like “Once” and “Sing Street,” which also mixed troubled souls with the power of performance. The bonus here is that while constructed out of familiar working parts, “Hearts Beat Loud” is a lovely picture unafraid to touch on real emotions, using music to explore the fears of people on the precipice of enormous life changes. Co- writer/director Brett Haley has a terrific cast to help him achieve such tricky vulnerabilities, and for those who crave the musical arts, the feature delivers a rich sense of craftsmanship and passion behind the creation of songs.

A former musician, Frank (a sensational Nick Offerman) is getting ready to close Red Hook Records, his place of business and solace for the last 17 years. He’s a widower, focusing his energy on daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons), an independent young woman who’s about to leave home for medical school in Los Angeles, disrupting a burgeoning relationship with girlfriend Rose (Sasha Lane). Frank and Sam bond through music, and they share “jam sesh time” together, with their latest collaboration taking the form of a powerful pop tune with lyrical weight. Feeling excited about the fruit of their labor, Frank uploads the song “Hearts Beat Loud” to the internet, creating the group We’re Not a Band with his reluctant kid. When the tune becomes a fringe hit, Frank suddenly recognizes he has a chance to relive past glories with his beloved child, but the realities of her future potential threaten the fantasy of touring and recording, complicating their relationship.

Haley has a history of softer, humane dramas, previously helming “I’ll See You in My Dreams” and “The Hero.” He appears to be most fixated on the passage of time, studying aging as it enters different stages of resignation, but with “Hearts Beat Loud,” there’s still a little fight left in the main character. Frank is middle-aged and tired, no longer interested in protecting his record shop, losing customers to online retailers. He does have support from Leslie (Toni Collette), his landlord and secret admirer, but the daily labor of maintaining a home for music has lost its appeal, leaving him with no financial future and a mother, Marianne (Blythe Danner), who’s losing her battle with senility, expressing herself through shoplifting. The recipe for a quirky midlife crisis movie is there, but Haley avoids the formula, instead treating Frank as a man ready for new inspiration, but unable to find it until he creates a special song with his kid, who’s pulled into one last collaboration before she leaves the state.

The musical aspects of “Hearts Beat Loud” are significant, with ample screen time set aside to watch Frank and Sam generate tunes together, finding communication through songs that plumb the depths of their feelings and poetic thought. For Frank, the possibilities for We’re Not a Band are endless, feeling excitement as he receives a second shot at the industry, planning tours and albums as the “Hearts Beat Loud” song gains some recognition (Frank hearing his work in a bakery is a film highlight). There’s also a mournful side to the second chance, which also colors Sam’s reaction to the news of cult success, now facing extreme complications to her exit strategy. Haley and co-writer Marc Basch also add a wrinkle in Rose, a sweet artist who falls head over heels for Sam, with the pair locating love at the worst possible moment. “Hearts Beat Loud” pinpoints the agony of life-changing decisions, making Sam’s crossroads utterly real and heartbreaking, suddenly forced to choose between a planned career in medicine on the west coast and her richly detailed life in Brooklyn, suddenly aware of her history and creative potential.

Hearts Beat Loud Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.99:1 aspect ratio) presentation maintains a bright look, with the HD-shot feature largely looking to show off set decoration and capture thespian emotion. Clarity is terrific all around, finding Offerman's close-ups alone a wonderful way to use HD, scanning his scruffy, bearded look, worry lines, and large eyes. The performers enjoy textured close-ups throughout, and costuming keeps touchable fabrics and signs of distress. City visits maintain distances, and backgrounds are open for examination, with the record store alone a treasure trove of album covers and tour posters, giving the feature a sense of lived-in appeal. Hues remain vibrant and steady, delivering natural skintones and greenery, while living spaces and the store maintain bold primaries, with Haley making sure to fill the frame with varied lighting and ornamentation. Delineation maintains consistency.

Hearts Beat Loud Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Music is the big draw of "Hearts Beat Loud," and the 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is incredibly respectful of the band experience Haley is hoping to convey. Musicianship is sharp, with defined guitar strumming and keyboards, while percussive efforts deliver just enough snap and bottom to give the low-end something to do. Vocals are tight and communicative. Scoring efforts are full, with surrounds deployed to create a circular space of dramatic emphasis. But the We're Not a Band performance scenes, along with assorted creative tinkering, keep the emotional flow of the picture with respectful volume. Dialogue exchanges are appealing, working with subtle emotionality that's never lost. Atmospherics are compelling, finding bar interiors lively with customer bustle, and outdoor interactions retain the feel of their surroundings.

Hearts Beat Loud Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features co-writer/director Brett Haley.

• Junket Interviews (HD) include "Brett Talks About the Film" (:53), "Brett Talks About What Inspired Him to Make the Film" (1:19), "Brett Talks About Casting the Film" (2:35), "Nick & Kiersey Talk About the Film" (:48), "Nick & Kiersey Talk About What Attracted Them to the Role" (2:28), "Nick & Kiersey Talk About Rehearsals" (:43), and "Nick & Toni Talk About What Attracted Them to the Role" (3:23).

• Sundance Performance (3:47, SD) brings We're Not a Band to the famous film festival, with Offerman (on bass) and Clemons teaming with musicians Keegan Dewitt and Jeremy Bullock to perform a song for the celebrity-laden crowd.

• Stills (:47) collect publicity pictures from "Hearts Beat Loud."

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

Hearts Beat Loud Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are a few hiccups in "Hearts Beat Loud," finding Marianne too disposable of a character, with Haley ultimately doing little with the grandmother. And Leslie makes for fine support, but her sexual interest in Frank feels clichéd, intended to create a barrier to help with third act decisions. However, the movie has a big heart and a real dedication to musical performance, arranging an entire show for Frank and Sam to help them settle their differences and bond together as a group. It's a gentle picture that veers into predictability, but Haley keeps the effort on track, trying to extract as much emotional texture as possible, giving the endeavor a lived-in sense of time, love, and harmony.