You most likely haven’t heard of Flora and Son and if you’re reading this review, unfortunately it seems that the movie is no longer available in theaters. That’s not an indication of the quality of this one though. Heck, I love John Carney movies and by the time I realized it was out in theaters, I had already missed my chance to see it. Fret not though! The movie is available on Apple TV+ if you read this review and want to check it out!
If you’re unfamiliar with writer/director John Carney’s previous work, he makes some pretty awesome movies that largely revolve around people and music. They’re not musicals by definition, but they follow people that are musicians or at least aspiring musicians and the things going on in their life. His most well known movie is probably Begin Again which star Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo. The movie also features Adam Levine from Maroon 5, Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, CeeLo Green, and James Corden. My favorite movie that Carney has made so far though was definitely Sing Street which follows a kid who lives in Dublin in 1985 and starts a band to impress a girl. The music is absolutely fantastic and is a classic feel good movie that’s also a coming of age movie. Definitely check that one out if you haven’t already (and his other film Once for that matter)!
ANYWAY, suffice it to say I love John Carney and his movies and I was very excited to watch this one. For this viewing experience, because we missed it at theaters, Adriana joined my brother and I for “Taco Tuesday” and a John Carney double feature! I’ve come to learn that “Taco Tuesday” at the Angus household is a quintessential “white people taco night” experience, but I have no intention of changing it up…for now.
We watched Flora and Son after Sing Street and here are my thoughts!
First, this one is a return to the modern day Ireland and follows Flora and her son Max. They have a difficult relationship but find some common ground through music. Flora is played by Eve Hewson (did you know she is Bono’s daughter?!) who does an excellent job with all aspects of her performance. She’s a believable character that you can easily find yourself invested in. Flora ultimately starts taking online guitar lessons taught by Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who lives in LA. The dynamic between these two carries the movie and was definitely the part that I found myself most invested in. Also, from a music perspective, these two also took the crown in the film for me.
Unfortunately, I didn’t feel as positive about her son Max (Orén Kinlan). It wasn’t so much the performance that bothered me as much as the writing in this case. The movie does little to make Max a character you either like or understand. An “angsty teen” that is dialed up to be a little extra irritating and a compulsive and unsuccessful thief, Max bounces back and forth between his mom and his dad Ian (Jack Reynor) who had him at a young age.
This sets up one of the big themes of the movie too, about the paths we take in life and what could have been for both Flora and Ian. The dynamic between these two is interesting and has a few fun moments throughout the movie.
Going back to Max though, another aspect that didn’t work for me was Max’s musical pursuits and style. He’s a white Irish boy who likes to rap, wear hats, and puffy winter coats even though it’s not winter weather. I just couldn’t take that seriously, and this quite possibly could just be me, so I encourage you to remain open to it. However, the “cool” kid in the neighborhood is also a white Irish rapper with a similar style and something about the Irish accent just makes me giggle when I hear them rap.
As music comes increasingly important to Flora and Max throughout the movie, the time spent with Max strained me a bit and took away from what I was more interested in which was Flora and Jeff.
By the end, I was left feeling like I could have spent more time with these characters though to see what happens next and close some threads that I felt were left hanging.
Verdict
Overall though, I did enjoy this movie enough to give it some love! At just 97 minutes long, nothing that I disliked lingers long enough to bore me or take me completely out of the movie.
Check this one out for Eve Hewson and the grounded family story. I don’t think you’ll regret it!
Adriana Wiszniewska