A feel-good sleeper with a great cast
I’m just going to say this up front: Blythe Danner is a fucking beast. She kills it in this movie in a very remarkable way. Toni Collette is having a great year, too, and although this isn’t her best role of the year (that’s Hereditary, which is on a par with her career best), her particular, eager warmth is always welcome.
If Hearts Beat Loud has a flaw, and it probably does, it’s the amount of time it devotes to Nick Offerman’s schlubby, self-absorbed dad. It’s a terrific performance, but I wanted more Kiersey Clemons, more sweet lesbian romance, less middle-aged ennui. Your Offerman mileage will vary according to your affection for/identification with him.
It’s a relief to watch a movie that hits some familiar emotional beats while still feeling so casual and personal. The stakes aren’t terribly high, but they feel honest and so the modest catharsis feels earned.
I’m a little in love with this one.
in the dark 