Some comedians come and go. Then there are ones like Jerry Seinfeld, who have a staying power that would be enviable in any field, let alone a mercurial one like show business. Seinfeld's endurance will be on full display this summer when he puts on two shows at Winspear Opera House on June 8.
It may be hard to believe given the proliferation of reruns still running in syndication, but Seinfeld went off the air 15 years ago. The last episode aired May 14, 1998.
As that sitcom essentially set him up for life, he's taken on a kind of "comedian emeritus" role since then. Seinfeld pops up in a variety of cameos, writing and starring in the animated Bee Movie and hosting the short-lived The Marriage Ref on NBC.
His most high-profile gig since the end of Seinfeld was on the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm, which stars Larry David, who co-created Seinfeld. The season-long arc in season seven featured Seinfeld and co-stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards prepping and shooting a Seinfeld reunion show, something they've said they'll never do in real life.
Through it all, Seinfeld has continued to hone his stand-up skills. He averages close to 100 stand-up shows every year, although many of them are spur-of-the-moment appearances in New York comedy clubs or private events.
This will be Seinfeld's first Dallas show since May 2011.
Writer/director John Carney is one of the great purveyors of movies featuring music (as opposed to musicals) in the 21st century. Starting with Once in 2007 (which was turned into a Broadway musical several years later), he has made music-themed stories like Begin Again, Sing Street, Flora and Son, and now Power Ballad.
Rick Power (Paul Rudd) is a former wannabe rock star who is now the lead singer of “Ireland’s #1 Wedding Band,” The Bride & Grooves. While they mostly play smaller weddings, a gig at a country estate leads to an encounter with Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former boy band member struggling to make it as a solo artist. Rick and Danny wind up bonding in a booze- and pot-filled jam session, sharing various song ideas.
After returning to Los Angeles and desperate for a hit, Danny steals one of Rick’s songs, which miraculously turns into the No. 1 “How to Write a Song (Without You).” Rick, initially overjoyed that something he wrote has become big, is crushed when he finds out Danny didn’t give him credit. His quest to find a way to prove his worth sends him into a spiral, upending the ordinary life he had built.
Co-written by Peter McDonald, the film is a nice exploration of two men trying to hold on to their music dreams. Their individual circumstances could not be more different, but each of them knows the ups and downs of the business as well as the other, as well as the ineffable magic of creating that one great song. While the music scenes are hit-and-miss because of a reliance on lip synching, the scene featuring Rick and Danny trading ideas is electric with creativity.
Oddly, though, the film could have used a bit less music and more of a focus on the two men’s personal lives. Rick wound up living in Ireland after falling in love with his future wife, Rachel (Marcella Plunkett), while on tour with his former American band. He spends a decent amount of time with her and his daughter, Aja (Beth Fallon), but his story needed a few more family scenes to drive the point home. Danny’s personal life is all but nonexistent, giving his arc less impact than it could have had.
Instead of loved ones, Carney and McDonald try to give Rick and Danny more depth through friends and business associates. Rick’s bandmate Sandy (McDonald) is a ride-or-die kind of guy for him, but his presence is only good for a few humorous distractions. Danny’s manager Mac (Jack Reynor) is difficult to parse, as he goes to bat for Danny on multiple occasions, but also seems to keep him at arm’s length.
It’s long been joked that Rudd never ages, and that youthfulness serves him well in this role, in which his character is supposed to be much younger than his actual age of 57. His energy and enthusiasm make his character appealing throughout, even when Rick starts to go off the deep end. Jonas is decent in his role, selling the music side well, but there might be a reason his character doesn’t have many scenes requiring him to show emotions.
While Power Ballad has all the hallmarks of another great Carney music movie, it’s missing a few pieces that could have put it over the top. It’s still a fun film with an insanely catchy song at its center, but it’s not quite as memorable as most of the filmmaker’s previous efforts.
