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Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

Power Ballad (2026)
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.
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.
The film addresses creative credit and fame's personal costs through individual choices and relationships. Its narrative centers on balance between integrity and ambition without invoking partisan frameworks or systemic critiques.
Main cast consists of white male leads in a music-industry story. Supporting roles include one Asian-American actress in a minor part. Narrative focuses on personal ambition and creative credit without critiquing traditional identities.
Rick maintains a stable nuclear family with wife and teenage daughter while pursuing music ambitions; the narrative shows family life strained by his obsession but offers no endorsement or critique of traditional structures.
No LGBTQ+ characters or themes appear in the film.
No transsexual characters or themes appear. The narrative focuses solely on musicians and family without reference to gender identity.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
No gender-swapped characters appear. All named roles originate in this screenplay with no prior canon or historical baseline to alter.
No race swaps occur. All characters are original creations without prior canonical or historical racial depictions.
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources























