‘The High Note’ Review – The Cast Shines in this Music-filled Heartfelt Drama

Synopsis:

Set in the dazzling world of the LA music scene comes the story of Grace Davis, a superstar whose talent, and ego, have reached unbelievable heights, and Maggie, her overworked personal assistant. While stuck running errands, Maggie still aspires to her childhood dream of becoming a music producer. When Grace’s manager presents her with a choice that could alter the course of her career, Maggie and Grace come up with a plan that could change their lives forever.

We’re all faced with forks in the road and difficult decisions on multiple occasions during our lifetime. However, oftentimes instead of picking what we actually want, we pick the safer option. Whether big or small, whatever decision you make can and will alter your future forever. It’s never easy to choose but we forget that we only have one life to live. The High Note is full of those life-altering choices. Do you take control of your career choices or allow someone to push you into something you’d hate? Do you take that risk to get that unsure dream job that could jeopardize your current job? Is mixing business and pleasure worth it? Or simply, should I speak up? All relatable scenarios but to quote Will Smith, “On the other side of your maximum fear, are the best things in life.” Fear is what drives many of our daily decisions and definitely our biggest ones. Fear of the unknown is a powerful monster.

That’s exactly what the characters in this movie are in a constant battle with. Filled with themes of love, pride, self-confidence, and making amends, The High Note is not only an enjoyable watch but is deeper than it appears. While being relatively lighthearted and somewhat predictable, this story is heartfelt and has more to offer than simply being about music. The movies quick start grasps your attention right away and never loosens its grip. I found myself enchanted by its soundtrack and invested in its story. If you love music and the art of making it, you’ll love this movie. You can really put yourself in Maggie’s shoes as she tries to make everyone happy, including herself. There are no dull moments to be found anywhere. The production design is bright and eye-catching, the ending is satisfying, and there are some goosebump-inducing scenes. On the flip side, I feel as if they left it’s romantic love story unfinished and sped through its other connection. Emotionally, the sentiments stick but they could’ve been expounded upon to make them more concrete. With its great chemistry and tone, The High Note is highly enjoyable with high rewatchability.

Plot & Pace

Trying to solidify the next phase of her career, Grace Davis is unsure of what route to take. One is guaranteed money, while the other is risky but just as satisfying, if not more so. Her longtime assistant, Maggie handles everything in Grace’s life but has secret aspirations of her own. Both living a double life that the other doesn’t know about, things come to a head when one of them gets spread too thin and things begin to unravel. Both faced with difficult decisions, they both have to do what feels right for themselves. There’s a thin line between chasing your dreams and using people. The story seems to move a relatively fast pace because there are no monotonous moments. However, you don’t feel the speed until it’s over and you want a little more.

Characters & Chemistry

Even though the story is driven by one character, I feel as if it had no outright star. In part because three of the four did a great job. Maggie (Dakota Johnson) had such great and spicy chemistry with David (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) even with it feeling shortlived to me. David being smooth and charismatic with a hint of insecurity and Maggie being overly confident and crafty, made for onscreen magic. Also, Maggie’s passion and determination to be a producer stand out. I love Ice Cube but his character, Jack felt underdeveloped. Cube did the best he could with what he was given but in the end, it was lacking. Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross) was more layered than I expected. Just when I thought she was simply an egomaniac, she becomes someone that you understand and empathize with. The boss/friend dynamic she has with Maggie is the highlight of a great amount of the movie.

The High Note will be available to rent on Prime Video and all premium on demand platforms for $19.99 (for 48 hours) on May 29th. Find your platform here www.WatchTheHighNote.com

Enjoy and stay safe.

Director: Nisha Ganatra

Writer: Flora Greeson

Rated: PG-13

Runtime: 1h 53m

Rating: 4 out of 5

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