

Title: Song One

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Director: Kate Barker-Froyland

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn, Mary Steenburgen

Runtime: 1 hr 26 mins

What It Is: Following the injury to her brother Henry (Ben Rosenfield) caused by a car accident young student Franny (Hathaway) leaves the tribe in Morocco she is studying as a part of her PhD to go back home to New York in order to support her mother (Steenburgen) in this trying time. Upon her return she goes to see a show by James Forester (Flynn), her brothers musical idol. From there we are taken through the whirlwind of their romance as it ebbs and flows like the time signatures of Foresters own refrains.

What We Think: First time director Barker-Froyland really overcooks some scenes, and that probably from lack of experience. Overall the film lulls it’s way through the short runtime, and feels longer then it’s 86 short minutes. It is a cliche riddled mess of ideas that never construct themselves. It gets a romance and leaves it blooming never to fully blossom due to it’s rushed creation, and ambiguous resolution. One sparkling positive that this film has going for it is the great music in it. Flynn does a great job with the musical material and the soundtrack is a must for those who can appreciate folk-rock. It has a great look about it, one that has that great indie feel about it.

Our Grade: D+, In the hands of a more experienced director this film wouldn’t have done a whole lot better. It was really a dialogue issue. However, sometimes you can overcome a crap script though it is certainly a difficult route. Whatever Barker-Froyland does next will be interesting, and hopefully it’ll look as nice as this one did. Unfortunately there just isn’t anything to this one note film, and it suffers from the deadly sin of being altogether boring.