To any WLW out there with shitty parents, Nick Offerman’s character in Hearts Beat Loud is your dad now. I don’t make the rules, he just is. He will support and embarrass you in equal measure all while being pleasingly chill about the whole “liking girls” thing you’ve got going for you.
Hearts Beat Loud follows Frank and his daughter, Sam. Frank is a music-loving, hipster dad living in Brooklyn. Sam is his daughter who is soon to attend medical school. She’s also a lesbian. Following an inspired jam session between Frank and Sam, Frank decides to release their recorded song online. The song goes mildly viral so Frank and Sam start a band.
Hearts Beat Loud is deeply charming and full of likeable characters. The standout is Nick Offerman as Frank. Offerman gives a great performance as a cool, supportive yet embarrassing dad. He’s like some sort of fantasy dad come to life for queer people who don’t have supportive parents.
Beyond Offerman’s performance, the movie works because of the chemistry between Frank and Sam. Offerman and Kiersey Clemons make great scene partners. They have great chemistry and play off each other. Consequently, their relationship is really fun and heartwarming to watch. Hearts Beat Loud is one of those stories where the kid is the more mature party and the parent more rebellious. That is a trope that can get tiresom. However, it works well here as it is tied into their overall characterizations.
While it is not the focus of the movie, the relationship between Sam and her girlfriend Rose is a delight. Sam and Rose are both black, queer women. And they’re happy! Yes, there’s some general relationship angst due to to Sam moving away. But there is no angst related to their identities as people of colour or queer people. Those aspects are matter-of-fact. Sam and Rose’s sweet, non-traumatic relationship is a rarity. It was a nice change to not only see two black queer women onscreen but to see them in a story that didn’t draw tragedy and conflict from their identities as such.
Hearts Beat Loud’s biggest strength is in its ability to portray and illicit emotion. Generally, the movie is feel-good and it is very successful at that. It is charming and funny and made me feel warm and safe. When it does get into more emotional scenes however, it remains as strong. Despite the characters being too funny and likeable to ever exist in real life, Hearts Beat Loud feels exceedingly genuine.
Hearts Beat Loud is a really delightful, feel-good movie. I had a smile on my face through almost the entire run time. It’s nice to have a movie that focuses on the positive relationship between a lesbian and her parent. This is one to check out, especially if you’re feeling sad about something or other. Hearts Beat Loud is a rare WLW movie that would actually cheer you up.
Overall rating: 7.9/10
Other WLW films in similar genres
Cool and supportive and accepting parents
Be First to Comment