A Great Surprise

Rating: 8/10 (8 March 2015)

I really didn't expect much from this film. I figured it might be a bit of a side project for Ruffalo and Knightley while they were both more concentrated on Foxcatcher and The Imitation Game. The inclusion of Adam Levine in an acting role also rang alarm bells.
However, I could not have been more wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this film. The relationship between the two main characters is brilliant but the real star relationship that I enjoyed was the re-connection of Ruffalo's character to his estranged daughter (played brilliantly by Hailee Steinfeld). The two of them capture a very accurate attritional relationship between an angsty teen and a failing father.
This is a lovely, feel-good, indie film that gives us an insight into a cross section of the music industry. The film is so well cast that these characters really gel and you can feel the differing relationships between them. The film does all this without falling into classic rom-com stereotypes and disengaging the audience.
It is so refreshing to see a film genuinely explore character relationships without feeling the need to force any romance story lines.