Director Nisha Ganatra follows up her underrated Sundance breakthrough Late Night with another story centered on the entertainment industry. This time, Ganatra heads to the raucous world of the music industry where egos are huge and aspirations for success are a dime a dozen. Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish) is an R&B superstar who has been coasting on her past success for longer than she would care to admit while continuing to tour at a steady pace. Maggie Sherwood (Dakota Johnson, The Peanut Butter Falcon) is Grace’s trusted personal assistant who bends over backwards to make sure everything is executed perfectly in the course of her job. Maggie also happens to have secret aspirations to make a name for herself in the music industry as a producer, which leads her to remixing some of Grace’s song in her spare time. Maggie admires Grace’s talents so much, and she believes she could make a real impact with new music if she just took the chance.
When you take a look at the modern music charts, you understand Grace’s trepidation. The world is not always kind to women of a more mature age, especially in an industry that is so youth-driven. The High Note finds Ganatra tapping into many of the themes from Late Night, down to an older woman facing irrelevance in her chosen industry. If it were up to Grace’s longtime manager, Jack (Ice Cube), he would have her give up touring for a steady residency in Vegas where she would crank out the same show every night. Jack is not necessarily trying to be cruel; he just wants her to be paid while avoiding rejection from the labels that no longer believe in her. Ellis Ross gives Grace an incredible amount of depth under the veneer of a superstar. There are some incredibly funny moments where Grace is portrayed as out of touch with the common person, but there are just as many moments where she will reveal some vulnerability that will break your heart.
While Grace is struggling to define what her career will look like after decades of success, Maggie is trying to find her own path as someone who is trying to gain a foothold in the industry. When a talented young singer, David (Kelvin Harrison Jr., Waves), endearingly comes into her life, Maggie takes the leap to convince him to be his producer. The pair instantly have dynamic chemistry together, both in their music and otherwise. Maggie is keenly adept at shaping his music into the best versions possible. The only issue is, she may have misled him about her experience as a producer, and she is still trying to juggle all of the responsibilities that come with being Grace’s assistant. Johnson brings a real warmth and earnestness to Maggie that makes you root for her at all times. Maggie is faced with many tough decisions throughout the film, but the grounded performance never makes anything feel too trite or overwrought.
The High Note is one of those rare films we get way too seldom these days that is filled with an overwhelming amount of heart and emotion, along with plenty of laughs. The latter is helped in large part by a talented supporting cast including June Diane Raphael and Zoe Chao. Harrison Jr. also once again shows why he is one of the most exciting young actors working today. He has done so much fantastic work in many different genres, and he adds another layer to his talent here. For a film centered on the music industry, it thankfully offers up some genuinely excellent songs that will easily get stuck in your head. The plot is not overly complicated or surprising, but it will leave you with such a good feeling by the end. The positive message about pursuing your dreams and not counting yourself out in the face of intimidating odds is a necessary one. There are so many things that are major bummers these days that finding a film like The High Note feels like a welcome reprieve. Nisha Ganatra has done a standout job of elevating what could have been a by the numbers script to something that feels genuine and essential.
Video Quality
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment brings The High Note to Blu-Ray with a very pleasing 1080p video presentation. The image is clean with the bright color palette popping off the screen. The film employs nice splashes of gold within the production design, which makes for a very striking image. The black levels are appropriately deep and inky with no discernable digital noise. The flesh tones are natural, which is greatly appreciated for a film with quite a bit of diversity. The presentation provides a significant amount of depth on display, especially in the interior shots. This is as solid of a presentation as any modern movie should provide on Blu-Ray.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio track that is quite excellent without being domineering. The music of Grace and Maggie is paramount to getting to the heart of this film, and this track does a great job of filling the room in a truly enveloping way. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever falling victim to overlapping voices or an overbearing soundtrack. Everything is mixed perfectly with directionality accurately rendered across all channels. Crowd scenes provide a good amount of activity in the rear channels, and music stirs up some intense activity in the low end. This track honors the spirit of a movie so passionate about music.
Special Features
- Deleted/Alternate/Extended Scenes: 22 scenes totaling 26-minutes are supplied here. There are a lot of fun tidbits here, but it is understandable that they were cut, as it would have slowed down the film some. Check these out for more amusing bits with June Diane Raphael’s Gale, Zoe Chao’s Katie and more. Really worth diving into!
- The Dream Team – Inside The Creation Of The High Note: A five-minute discussion with the cast and crew in which they talk about the importance of having women represented on-screen and behind the camera, the fresh script from burgeoning screenwriter Flora Greeson, the music in the film, the costumes and more.
- Making A Legend – The Grace Davis Story: A four-minute Behind The Music style featurette featuring the cast in-character discussing the career of Grace Davis. This is a fun little addition that should only be viewed after you have watched the film, as it does reveal some elements of the ending.
- “Like I Do” – Original Song Music Video: This three-minute music video features clips from the movie and some behind the scenes shots to complement this really great original song.
Final Thoughts
The High Note is honestly one of the most enjoyable viewing experiences I have had in recent times. The film is the perfect mix of comedy and lighthearted drama featuring a cast that is beyond reproach. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has given this one a stellar A/V presentation along with a nice selection of special features. If you are in need of some positivity in your life, this film should more than do the trick for you! Highly Recommended
The High Note will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on August 11, 2020. The film is currently available on Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.