Plot
A young woman strikes up a relationship with her ailing brother's favorite musician.
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 6.0/10 (243 voted)
Critic's Score: 50/100
Director: Kate Barker-Froyland
Stars: Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn, Mary Steenburgen
Storyline
Estranged from her family, Franny returns home when an accident leaves her brother comatose. Retracing his life as an aspiring musician, she tracks down his favorite musician, James Forester. Against the backdrop of Brooklyn's music scene, Franny and James develop an unexpected relationship and face the realities of their lives.
Cast: Anne Hathaway -
Franny
Mary Steenburgen -
Johnny Flynn -
James Forester
Ben Rosenfield -
Henry
Gideon Glick -
Everett
Al Thompson -
Andy
Crystal Lonneberg -
James' Friend
Li Jun Li -
James Forester's Journalist
Shawn Parsons -
Roadie
Katrina E. Perkins -
Hippie Woman
(as Katrina Elizabeth Perkins)
Stefano Villabona -
Rock Concert Goer
Jessamine Kelley -
Tess
Emily McKinley Hill -
Henry's Friend
Alan Davis -
Concert Fan
Justin Arnold -
Concert Goer
Trivia: Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers auditioned for the role of James Forester. Avett told Rolling Stone that for his audition, he read an emotional scene with Anne Hathaway: "It's an emotional scene, and Anne starts welling up in tears. I was like, 'Oh my God. How is she doing that?' It was obvious to me that I was out of my league." See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 5/10
Greetings again from the darkness. Fresh off her Oscar winning
performance and infamous on screen haircut in Les Miserables, Anne
Hathaway stars in this infinitely smaller film from writer/director
Kate Barker-Froyland. A Sundance Film Festival entry, the movie winds
through the clubs, coffee shops and second hand stores that make up the
indie music scene in northern Brooklyn.
Ben Rosenfield ("Boardwalk Empire") plays Henry, the kind of musician
so enamored with his own folk sound that he is willing to play for
pocket change in the subway tunnels. Failing to adhere to mother rule
#1, Henry pays the price for not looking both ways prior to crossing a
street in front of a New York cabbie. Next thing we know, he is
comatose in a hospital bed. Henry's mom (Mary Steenburgen) beckons
wayward daughter Franny (Anne Hathaway) home from her worldly pursuit
of a Ph.d in Anthropology.
When last they spoke Franny and brother Henry had one of those nasty
sibling fights where angry words were spoken and no apology followed.
It's been six months and now a guilt-ridden Franny sits by his hospital
bed hoping for a shot at redemption. She soon discovers Henry's journal
and begins re-tracing his favorite hang-outs and bands. This journey
leads her to a meeting with Henry's musical idol James Forester (played
by Johnny Flynn). Lacking suspense, the story leads right where one
would expect – James and Franny taking a liking to each other, Franny
discovers her own love for music, and the songwriting block that has
burdened James slowly breaks down.
The film is at its best in the musical moments. Flynn is a very
talented guy as a musician (not so much as an actor), and 5 or 6 live
musical acts make appearances as the story unfolds. Most of the quiet
scenes between Hathaway and Flynn seem a bit awkward, but not awkward
in the good way that leads to real romance. Connection and
re-connection are quite common in times of tragedy, as we are at our
most emotionally vulnerable state. The biggest issue here is that
everything develops just as we would expect … no surprises, no twists.
Even the re-connection of Franny and her mother is a sweet scene where
Franny sings along to America's "I Need You".
Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley fame) and Jonathan Rice co-wrote the
original songs used in the film, and as stated, a hand full of other
bands perform their own material. For a musically based romantic drama,
it does have a couple of really nice scenes, but for the most part, the
drama and romance lag the music.
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