"Hearts Beat Loud" - Review

One of the constants of human existence is change, and one of the hardest parts of being human is accepting change. This can be difficult at any stage of life, whether you’re a father whose daughter is heading to college in the fall, or if you’re said daughter embarking on something brand new. The irony is that sometimes you have to change in order to grow. The film Hearts Beat Loud earnestly explores the themes of change with humor and a whole lot of heart.
 
Music is in Frank Fisher's (Nick Offerman) blood. A former musician, he has been running a record store in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook for the past seventeen years. He’s done this even after the death of his wife twelve years ago. But Frank is ready to call it quits on the whole store. His daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons) is heading to UCLA in the fall and intending to be pre-med; she’s also in the midst of a summer romance with hip artist Rose (Sasha Lane). To connect with his daughter and by extension his late wife – Frank and Sam have late night jam sessions where they play instruments and Sam sings. One night the two record a song together titled “Hearts Beat Loud,” inspired by Sam’s summer medical classes. Frank, being a proud father decides to upload the song to Spotify. It unexpectedly becomes popular and the two begin a summer project of creating more songs. At the same time, Frank is starting a tentative romance with the store’s landlord, Leslie (Toni Collette), and has to worry about his mother (Blythe Danner) who’s suffering from dementia. But is being part of a band with her dad something Sam really wants? And what does Frank need to do? They both know they are headed for change and neither are really sure what that means.
 
Directed by Brett Haley and co-written by Haley and Marc Basch, Hearts Beat Loud is a wonderful little movie dripping with compassion and love for all of its characters. The relationships feel lived in and real, and when you expect the film to go one way, it defiantly goes another. Consider the relationship between Sam and Rose. In a lesser film, the romance could either feel sappy or be forced into an annoying drama. This film takes a different, more realistic tack – in that a summer romance is deeply important to the people involved, but isn’t some heart wrenching thing. Furthermore, the film doesn’t use Sam’s sexuality as a point for cheap drama either; she’s a lesbian and the film takes that as a given.
 
Offerman and Clemons have a great chemistry and give fantastic performances. These two are obviously father and daughter, and even when they’re exasperated with each other there’s a deep love and affection between the two. Kiersey Clemons has been popping up in a lot of different places recently, and this film shows she’s going to be a major star soon. Offerman imbues his role with a lot of humor, but also gives the film a lot of heart — and I had no idea he could sing and play music! The supporting cast, which also includes Ted Danson, is memorable even with limited screen time.
 
The film drags a bit in its second act, and even though the film never forces the drama where you expect it, the romantic subplot involving Frank and Leslie does feel like a way to create conflict where it isn’t really needed. Even so, the film never loses sight of the depth of its characters and their relationships, so it’s not a huge problem. And the music is great. Clemons in particular has a wonderful singing voice.
 
This is a lovely movie about two characters going through a large change in their lives. Everyone can handle change, the film seems to argue, as long as they have people behind them who love them. Hearts Beat Loud follows in the tradition of other indie summer dramedies in offering a charming small story with great acting, and awesome music as an added bonus.
 
Three out of four stars.