6.8
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
Comedy, Music, Drama • 2026 • 99 min • Adults (18+)
Power Ballad (2026)
Power Ballad (2026)
Overview
Power Ballad is a John Carney music-comedy about a middle-aged wedding singer who watches a fading pop star turn his song into a career-reviving hit, then scrambles to reclaim credit before losing everything he loves in the process. The Leans Traditional label fits naturally here. Carney's catalog tends to center earnest male protagonists navigating love, ambition, and authenticity through music, and this film follows that template. A nuclear family under strain from personal obsession, a story about individual integrity rather than systemic grievance, two white male leads at the center, no LGBTQ or identity-politics framing, and no partisan angles. The cultural gravity here is classic and recognizable, not ideologically charged.
Starring Cast
Paul Rudd • Nick Jonas • Peter McDonald
Where to watch
Rating & Dimensions
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Political: Center
Diversity: Low
Family Values: Strongly Traditional
Viewer Rating
6.8
Overview
Power Ballad is a John Carney music-comedy about a middle-aged wedding singer who watches a fading pop star turn his song into a career-reviving hit, then scrambles to reclaim credit before losing everything he loves in the process. The Leans Traditional label fits naturally here. Carney's catalog tends to center earnest male protagonists navigating love, ambition, and authenticity through music, and this film follows that template. A nuclear family under strain from personal obsession, a story about individual integrity rather than systemic grievance, two white male leads at the center, no LGBTQ or identity-politics framing, and no partisan angles. The cultural gravity here is classic and recognizable, not ideologically charged.
Starring Cast
Paul Rudd • Nick Jonas • Peter McDonald
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Primary
Political: Center
Confidence: Medium
The film's core subject of personal struggles in the music industry carries no inherent political valence and is framed through individual relationships, artistic collaboration, and emotional growth rather than systemic critique or ideological advocacy.
Diversity: Low
Confidence: Medium
The film features a predominantly white male cast in conventional roles within a story focused on male friendship, musical ambition, and personal redemption, with no indications of intentional diversity recasting or narrative emphasis on identity-based critiques.
Secondary
Family Values: Strongly Traditional
Confidence: Medium
The film centers on a married father who chose family over musical stardom, wrote a song about fatherhood for his daughter, does not regret his marriage or parenting, and ultimately reconciles with his wife and child after pursuing credit for the song. This narrative endorses committed heterosexual marriage and dedicated fatherhood as fulfilling priorities over ambition.
LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: Low
The film contains no identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes.
Trans: N/A
Confidence: Low
No transgender characters or themes appear in this music dramedy about a wedding singer and a former boy-band star bonding over songwriting and ambition. The story focuses on friendship, self-respect, and the music industry without any related arcs.
Female Combat: N/R
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
Gender Swap: No
Confidence: Medium
Power Ballad is an original screenplay with newly created characters; no legacy figures from prior source material, adaptations, or historical records are recast with a different gender.
Race Swap: No
Confidence: Medium
Power Ballad is an original screenplay with newly created characters and no prior source material establishing any character's race. All named roles are original inventions for this film, so no race swaps occur.
Hinduism: N/A
Confidence: Low
Not depicted in the film.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
6.8
7.0
Critic Ratings
N/A
6.7
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