“The High Note” began life as a screenplay titled “Covers,” and at times the music-themed drama turns into a tribute to the power of a cover song performed by someone other than the person who originated it: Aretha Franklin with Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Share Your Love,” the Staples Singers with the Band’s “The Weight,” P.P Arnold with Cat Stevens’ “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” the Dixie Chicks with Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” …
And the movie, which was directed by Nisha Ganatra (“Late Night”) and written by Flora Greeson, would like to take some familiar material and put a fresh spin on it, too. How well is succeeds depends on one’s tolerance level for understatement and for unabashed corn, both of which are found in the film, though obviously not at the same time.
Instead, it bounces around like a musical artist determined to show off the whole repertoire in the course of a few songs. “The High Note” is a character study, it’s a romance, it’s a dismissive look at the music business and a celebration of the power of music, it’s a movie that refuses to go down the path it’s been telegraphing and a movie that pulls out all the stops to get where you figured it would all along.
The Focus Features release, which would have landed in theaters if not for the coronavirus pushing it to a VOD release, is a little flat and kind of a mess, but a low-key and pleasant one that goes down agreeably enough for most of its running time.
Dakota Johnson plays Maggie, the personal assistant to Grace Davis, an imperious soul diva who’s got 11 Grammys and doesn’t seem quite old enough to have settled onto the nostalgia circuit, though that’s where she seems to be. “Black-ish” star Tracee Ellis Ross plays Grace in a way that suggests she’s paid some attention to her real-life mother, Diana Ross, though the character’s whiplash-inducing personality – she’s capricious and flighty, regal but needy – doesn’t always add up to what seems to be a real person.
Grace’s manager, Jack (Ice Cube in his goodnatured glowering mode), wants her to ride the gravy train and take a Vegas residency, but Maggie is sure that Grace should record new material – and what’s more, that she should do it with Maggie as her producer. After all, we know Maggie’s got great ears because she name-checks Aretha and Nina Simone, Carole King and Joni Mitchell, Elmore James and the Staples Singers – and we know she’s nobody’s pushover because when she has a meet-cute with aspiring singer David (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) at the Laurel Canyon Country Store, they end up arguing about the merits of “Hotel California.”
(Maggie votes nay, which I would happily accept if she didn’t try to seal the deal by comparing it to “Brown-Eyed Girl,” which is a damn great pop song.)
But David gets to her by singing Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me” on a makeshift stage out behind the store, and seals the deal when she goes to a party at his house and finds out that while he’s suspiciously rich, his record collection includes Dinah Washington, “Pet Sounds” and Marvin Gaye (on vinyl, of course).
Johnson and Harrison are casual and understated, a winning couple whose low-energy courtship starts as a business relationship, albeit one that involves lots of lies. Maggie feels the need to tell him that she’s a successful producer who’s making time for him in her busy schedule, leaving out that that schedule consists of taking a big star’s clothes to the dry cleaner and making sure said star knows what city she’s in on tour.
As the lies pile up, you know the moment of reckoning is coming – and you know that Maggie won’t be able to juggle her world with Grace (fame, hysteria, big money deals) and her one with David (casual banter and late-night trips to the recording studio).
David might want to become a successful musician, but he’s hesitant; Grace might want to make new music, but she’s also drawn to cashing those big Vegas checks; and Maggie wants to become a producer rather than an assistant, though she’s too timid to really say that around Grace. And when she finally speaks up, Grace shoots down her grand plan for engineering an artistic resurgence: “In the history of music, only five women over 40 have ever had a No. 1 hit, and only one of them was black! … You, little lady, are setting me up for a fail!”
Grace’s stat is not actually true: Six women have done it if you only allow solo recordings and nine if you count duets in which the woman received top billing – and that count doesn’t include bands like Jefferson Starship, with which Grace Slick did it three times. But maybe that’s nit-picking, because this is a vision of the music industry in which the big star is desperate to secure a high-powered opening act for her performance at a private record release party, and where the record company urges its artist to follow the career path that doesn’t include making, you know, records.
“The High Note” isn’t exactly believable as a depiction of the business, and the film isn’t much better at juggling the two storylines than Maggie herself is. But Johnson and Harrison are always genial and likeable, and the filmmakers are smart enough to shake things up by pulling the rug out from under Maggie at a key moment. Plus, Eddie Izzard has one scene as an Elton John-type rock star late in the film and nearly walks away with the movie without breaking a sweat or raising his voice, while Bill Pullman makes the most of a few quiet minutes as Maggie’s deejay dad.
The homestretch also gives Ross a priceless “apology” scene. It’s a key moment, and it almost lets you forgive the fact that they don’t just tie this story up in a bow, they assemble it into a veritable Gordian knot of happy interconnectedness. Almost.
“The High Note” is available on demand Friday, May 29.
All the Hollywood Films Arriving on Demand Early Because of the Coronavirus
Since most U.S. movie theaters have shuttered in response to the coronavirus pandemic, studios are rushing out VOD home releases of movies that were only just in theaters.
Disney/Warner Bros./Universal
"Trolls World Tour"
The sequel to the 2017 animated hit announced it would be available for digital download on April 10 -- the same day it was supposed to land in theaters. Now it's a VOD exclusive.
Universal Pictures
"Birds of Prey"
The Margot Robbie spinoff of 2017's "Suicide Squad" debuted on demand on March 24. The film grossed $84 million since opening on Feb. 4.
Warner Bros.
"The Hunt"
The Universal/Blumhouse horror film was first delayed from release last fall due to controversy over its violent content -- and then sidelined after its March 13 opening by the coronavirus. It's available to stream now.
Universal Pictures
"The Invisible Man"
The Universal horror film starring Elisabeth Moss grossed nearly $65 million since its Feb. 26 release in theaters. It's available to stream now.
Universal Pictures
"Emma."
Focus Features' adaptation of the Jane Austen novel opened in limited release Feb. 21 -- and picked up $10 million in ticket sales until the pandemic shut down theaters. It's available to stream now.
Focus Features
"Bloodshot"
The Vin Diesel comic-book movie opened March 6 and grossed $10 million before theaters shut down. It's available on VOD now.
Sony Pictures
"I Still Believe"
Lionsgate's biopic starring K.J. Apa as Christian music star Jeremy Camp hit VOD on March 27 -- just two weeks after it opened in theaters.
Lionsgate
"The Way Back"
Warner Bros. released the Ben Affleck drama "The Way Back" -- which grossed $13 million in theaters since its March 6 opening -- on VOD less than three weeks later, on March 24.
Warner Bros.
"Onward"
Disney and Pixar’s animated feature was made available for purchase on Friday, March 20, and the film hit Disney+ on April 3.
Disney/Pixar
"Sonic the Hedgehog"
Paramount Pictures' "Sonic the Hedgehog" set a new record for video game adaptations with a $58 million domestic opening weekend on Feb. 14 and has grossed $306 million worldwide theatrically. It's available on demand now.
Paramount Pictures
"The Call of the Wild"
20th Century Studios' feel-good film starring Harrison Ford and a giant CGI dog is available on demand now.
20th Century
"Downhill"
Barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation, a married couple (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell) is thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other. It's available on demand now.
Fox Searchlight
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always" is the story of two teenage cousins from rural Pennsylvania who journey to New York City to seek an abortion. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and walked away with a Special Jury award. It's available for VOD now.
Focus Features
"Endings, Beginnings"
"Endings, Beginnings," a romantic drama from Drake Doremus starring Shailene Woodley, Sebastian Stan and Jamie Dornan, opened early on digital on April 17 and on demand on May 1. It was meant to open theatrically on May 1.
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"To the Stars"
"To the Stars," a period drama set in 1960s Oklahoma that stars Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato, Jordana Spiro, Shea Whigham, Malin Akerman and Tony Hale, was bumped up to a digital release on April 24 and an on demand release on June 1. Martha Stephens directed the film that premiered at Sundance in 2019 and was meant to be released theatrically by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"Impractical Jokers: The Movie"
truTV's first-ever feature-length film arrived early on digital on April 1. Follow James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, Joe Gatto, and Sal Vulvano, aka The Tenderloins, playing themselves in a fictional story of a humiliating high school mishap from the early '90s.
truTV
"Artemis Fowl"
Disney's adaptation of the Eoin Colfer fantasy novel "Artemis Fowl" was meant to debut in theaters on May 29 but premiered exclusively on Disney+. The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Colin Farrell and Judi Dench.
Disney
"The Infiltrators"
The theatrical release of Oscilloscope's docu-thriller "The Infiltrators" has been postponed, and the film was released on both Cable On Demand and Digital Platforms starting June 2.
Oscilloscope
"Working Man"
The March 27 theatrical release of "Working Man" has been canceled due to the theater closures, and the film premiered on May 5 via Video On Demand.
Brainstorm Media
"Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story"
"Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story," a sports documentary executive produced by NBA star Steph Curry, was made available for streaming on the new service Altavod between April 16-18 for $7.99 and is available for pre-order beginning April 9. 10% of all the proceeds will be donated to COVID-19 relief efforts. The documentary tells the story of the player, Kenny Sailors, who pioneered the jump shot, and it features interviews with Curry, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Clark Kellogg, Bobby Knight and more.
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
"Scoob!"
Warner Bros. announced on April 11 that it would release the family animated film “Scoob!” for digital ownership and premium video on-demand on May 15, making it the second film (after Universal's "Trolls World Tour") to cancel a planned theatrical release and head straight to home release pandemic.
Warner Bros.
"The King of Staten Island"
"The King of Staten Island," the comedy starring and co-written by "SNL" star Pete Davidson and directed by Judd Apatow, skipped its theatrical release date of June 19 and opened one week early on VOD everywhere on June 12.
Universal Pictures
"The High Note"
"The High Note," the latest film from "Late Night" director Nisha Ganatra that stars Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson, made its premiere on VOD on May 29. It was meant to open on May 8 theatrically.
Focus Features
"Waiting for the Barbarians"
Ciro Guerra's film starring Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson was originally slated for a theatrical release but was picked up by Samuel Goldwyn Films to instead be released via cable on demand and on digital in August
Samuel Goldwyn Films
"Irresistible"
Jon Stewart's latest film, a political comedy called "Irresistible," will skip theaters and make its premiere online for on demand digital rental on June 26. The film from Focus Features stars Steve Carell and Rose Byrne and was meant to open in theaters on May 29.
Daniel McFadden / Focus Features
"My Spy"
The Dave Bautista action comedy "My Spy" was originally meant for a theatrical release from STXfilms and was due to hit theaters in March. Amazon then acquired the film from STX and will now release it on streaming on June 26.
Amazon Studios
"The One and Only Ivan"
The animated Disney film based on Thea Sharrock's best-selling children's book "The One and Only Ivan" is the latest feature to skip theaters and move to Disney+. The movie features the voice talent of Angelina Jolie, Danny Devito, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren. The film was previously slated for theatrical release on August 14 but will now debut on Disney+ one week later on Aug. 21.
Disney
"The Secret Garden"
The re-imagining of the book "The Secret Garden" was meant to open in UK theaters in April but delayed its theatrical release until August. But STXfilms will now release the StudioCanal and Heyday Films movie on PVOD for $19.99 on August 7 in North America. "The Secret Garden" stars Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Dixie Egerickx.
STXfilms
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”Irresistible“ joins a list of big films heading to digital home entertainment platforms early
Since most U.S. movie theaters have shuttered in response to the coronavirus pandemic, studios are rushing out VOD home releases of movies that were only just in theaters.