Flora and Son Review - A Dusty Guitar Binds It All

Single mother Flora is out of ideas to rein in her delinquent teen son and hopes a dusty guitar might give him a new direction. Read this review of the 2023 musical "Flora and Son," starring Eve Hewson and Orén Kinlan.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 5. Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram) Being a mother is hard enough, but the difficult level goes way up if you are a high-school drop out and become a mom at seventeen. So 30-something Flora, a Dubliner who lives in a shoe-box size home, struggles to keep her teen son Max out of juvenile prison. She fixes up a guitar fished out from a dumpster and gifts it to Max as a…

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'Flora And Son': John Carney Has Done It Again

'Flora And Son': John Carney Has Done It Again

I walked into Flora And Son knowing I would enjoy it. Writer/Director John Carney wouldn’t let me down. And he didn’t. What did let me down was everyone in my city, because apparently no one has taste. My boyfriend and I were the only ones in the theater on a Saturday night. Following the success of Once, Begin Again, Sing Street, and the TV show Modern Love comes his next music-centric project,…

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‘Flora and Son’ Review: Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and John Carney Show us the Love and Joy Music Can Bring, Once Again

Flora and Son (2023), Dir. John Carney, Starring Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. (Courtesy of AppleTV) “This is a gift you can take to your grave, and you can use it however you want,” the distraught yet overly optimistic Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) says in his video lesson to Flora (Eve Hewson). “And in the right context, it can speak directly to your heart in ways we don’t even…

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SUNDANCE 2023 COVERAGE: "FLORA AND SON" Movie Review

Let me preface this review by saying that ONCE was my favorite film of 2007 and SING STREET made my Top 10 List back in 2016. Suffice it to say, when I heard that John Carney would be back at Sundance 2023 with his newest film, FLORA AND SON, there was simply no way I was going to miss that. As an added bonus, it was a thrill getting to experience this movie with a Sundance crowd, and having…

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Flora and Son (2023) – Review

Director: John Carney | 1h 37mins | Drama, Comedy, Music

A young Irish Mother tries to connect with her son by taking up the guitar. 

John Carney’s crowd-pleasing latest film is just as you’d expect from a director so passionately obsessed with the connection between people and music, hitting the right notes of sentiment and exploring how music can shape identity as well as become an outlet for connection and personal growth. Flora and Son earns both its laughs and tender moments but, much like a pop song, lacks the depth to really stay with you afterwards. 

In one of their lessons, Jeff compares writing a song to creating a piece of art, declaring that it doesn’t matter how many tools you have at your disposal, it’s the meaning behind the brushstrokes that counts. This lays the foundation of the film’s themes, as Flora tries to unearth her own brushstrokes while also trying to understand her sons. This is where the film earns most of its endearing moments, whether it be Flora’s tough exterior slowly cracking as she collaborates with Jeff, or the togetherness of a family performance in the ending song “High Life”, they are all charming elements that pad the films runtime with enough sentiment to earn it’s feel-good qualities. But, the depth, or lack thereof, in the themes and relationships does make the sentimentality of the film somewhat forgettable. 

It should come as no surprise that Eve Hewson’s music performances are great (it’s in the genes), but as Flora she really does anchor the story and humour. She plays Flora with a bold and rough around the edges approach that only elevates Carney’s screenplay. But, when it’s time to really show us the characters’ brushstrokes, Hewson is able to be genuine. Much like the dusty guitar she pulls from a skip, Flora just needs a little bit of tuning and attention to really shine – a journey that’s captured effortlessly by the film’s breakout star. 

Although it doesn’t quite have the warmth and energy of Sing Street (2016), Carney injects enough humour and sentiment to make Flora and Son sing. However, aside from a wonderful performance from its leading star, the film rarely does enough to stay with you – feeling more like a generic pop song more so than an all time classic.

3/5

Flora and Son is the new film by writer-director John Carney, who’s given us some amazingly sweet modern pop musicals, starting with Once, then Begin Again, then Sling Street, and now his latest, that first played at Sundance, and like Coda before it, was bought by Apple TV+ to stream on its service after a limited theatrical release. Flora is played by Bono’s daughter, Eve Hewson, who’s getting her first breakthrough starring role she so rightly deserved after her mystifying turn in Netflix’s mini-series, “Behind Her Eyes.” And although the film co-stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Flora’s long-distance guitar teacher, it doesn’t turn out to be another romantic comedy with songs, but in essence, a story about motherhood and how tough it can be for a young divorced woman to be a proper mother while juggling romance at the same time. All that, and some really cute songs, this time including some rap music, coming right out of Dublin! It might not be clear in its intentions, and the third act might leave you hanging, but it’s sweet and will put a smile on your face. Just the perfect recipe for a streaming TV movie these days. Apple definitely knows what it's doing.

B

Trailer: https://youtu.be/beNTTHnMIy8

Screener Squad: Flora and Son FLORA AND SON MOVIE REVIEW Once you have seen a John Carney film, the world changes and no matter what you’re going through you feel as if you can begin again. From On The Edge to Sing Street, John’s view of the world isn’t so much about what we see but how we listen to the music created from the lives of friends and family around us and how our own voices can contribute to the chaotic harmony of those beautifully enduring relationships. Flora and Son is brought to you by Apple Plus and is coming at ya hot off… Read More »Screener Squad: Flora and Son read more on One of Us

"Flickering Dreams" Ep. 32: Reviews of The Creator, The Old Oak, Nowhere, Flora and Son, The Great Escaper and Saw X.

Episode 32 of the Flickering Dreams podcast and the team review The Creator, The Old Oak, Nowhere, Flora and Son, The Great Escaper and Saw X. Plus lots more in AOB including my latest #LFF picks.

In Episode 32 of Flickering Dreams I’m joined by Andy Godfrey of Sorted Magazine and Konnect Radio, and Scott Forbes of The Forbes Film and TV Review. In this episode Bob, Scott and Andy review the following films: The Creator: the new blockbuster Sci-Fi from Gareth Edwards; The Old Oak: the latest from Ken Loach regarding Syrian refugees in a Northern town; Nowhere (Netflix): a pregnant lady…

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Flora and Son (dir. John Carney) x TIFF 2023.

Apple's wholeheartedly endearing mother/son Irish musical comedy warms the soul. Set in working-class Dublin, its execution as an entirely heartwarming tale of a young mom struggling to connect with her delinquent teenage son while finding her own artistic satisfaction leaves viewers satisfied without being too schmaltzy.

Screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Gala Presentations program.

Movie Review: Flora and Son

Irish filmmaker John Carney has very quietly become one of the best directors of the now. The Irish director made a name for himself internationally with the charming little indie film Once about a busker and an immigrant making music (and so much more) together. His later film Begin Again was sort of like the Hollywood remake of Once, but I really liked how it was a love letter to NYC and showed someone getting back on their feet and finding something that motivates them. I included it in my Best Movies of 2014 list. His last feature film Sing Street was my #1 Movie of 2016. That coming-of-age film set in 1985 Dublin, was a perfect film start-to-finish: A love letter to music, music videos, and first love that remains optimistic despite the harsh realities. After working on the TV series Modern Love, Carney is back with the Sundance hit Flora and Son, which is opening theatrically and on Apple TV+ today.

movie poster

Eve Hewson plays Flora, a rough-around-the-edges single mother in Dublin, who lives in her small apartment with her teenage delinquent son Max (Oren Kinlan). She is advised to find Max a hobby to keep him from petty theft. When she finds an acoustic guitar in the dump, she gets it fixed. He resists the guitar, but she decides to take an online guitar class from Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a would-be rock star now teaching guitar from his home in California. I'm not going to say much more, but if you've seen any of Carney's work, it's no spoiler to say that the theme of music being something that can bring people together is very present here.

Hewson and Kinlan are Flora and Son

This is a movie you try to resist and say "it's sappy", etc, but at a certain point, you just can't resist its charm. The main reason why is because of Eve Hewson. She is a revelation! I had only seen her in small supporting roles in movies like This Must Be the Place and Bridge of Spies, but boy does she run with this role and make it her own. I am going to address the elephant in the room in that she is the older sister of Elijah Hewson, the lead singer of Inhaler (check out their excellent album Cuts and Bruises that I got to review earlier this year) and she is the daughter of the singer for the biggest Irish rock band on the planet (do I really have to say?!?). But this is far from stunt casting - winking at the audience that the daughter of one of the greatest songwriters of the now is playing a woman trying to learn to write a song - but it's not! Her performance all in her eyes - that longing, hoping, and hiding it behind her potty mouth (quite a few laughs I might add). This is a serious star-making performance for her. Joseph Gordon-Levitt brings his trademark charm to what could've been a one-note character. But equal praise is on Carney himself. Next to Cameron Crowe, no other director working today LOVES music like he does. You can feel it in every scene and every shot. His love of music isn't just in the background, it's in the foreground. Just try not to get choked up as Flora watches an old clip of Joni Mitchell (even if you're not a fan). But like his other movies where music is the connection that brings people together, it truly works in magical ways here and has a lot to say about how people connect in the age of zoom and skype.

For info on Flora and Son

4.5 out of 5 stars

A todos, boa noite!

Hoje convido vocês a visitarem Os Filmes do Kacic, para conferir minha nova crítica sobre este encantador e comovente drama, do mesmo diretor do sensacional Apenas Uma Vez. Imperdível para os fãs do gênero!

Crítica: FLORA E FILHO: MÚSICA EM FAMÍLIA (FLORA AND SON) | 2023

🎬🎞🎥📽📺

Flora and Son Review: This Mother-Son Love Story Hits the Right Notes.

There were hardly any musicals that premiered at TIFF this year, one of them was John Carney’s latest feature from Apple films Flora And Son. John Carney has had an exceptional record delivering classic musicals throughout his filmography. He is considered to be a specialist in this particular genre. Flora and Son stars Eve Hewson, Jack Reynor, Orén Kinlan and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and like most…

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#FloraAndSon la cuarta película de John Carney con tema músical, tendrá su re-estreno en el @tiff en septiembre. Click para saber más.

read my full review of old flames and new fortunes by sarah hogle here.

From the celebrated author of You Deserve Each Other and Just Like Magic, a steamy second-chance romance about a magical florist’s unexpected reunion with her high school sweetheart as she fake dates his soon-to-be stepbrother.

A small, magical town tucked away in rural Ohio, Moonville is the perfect place for flora fortunist Romina Tempest to expand her shop, where she uses the language of flowers to help the hopeful manifest their love lives. After giving up on her own big romance eleven years ago, at least she can bask in the promise of others’.

So, when the shop’s potential financier shares news of his wedding, Romina jumps on the opportunity to discuss buying the business. What better place to negotiate a deal than at a wedding, even if she has to fake-date her chaotic colleague Trevor to get an invitation? But all hell breaks loose when she discovers Trevor’s soon-to-be stepbrother is none other than Alex her high school sweetheart. Her greatest love. The boy who, eleven years ago, broke her heart, and who now thinks she and Trevor are dating. 

What starts as an innocent misunderstanding becomes a week-long fake dating scheme, as Romina resolves to make Alex pay for breaking her heart. The only issue? She can’t deny their still-burning connection. Caught between proving to Alex what he lost, and coming clean and risking her business, Romina must decide whether giving Alex another chance means going back on herself, or finally releasing her hold on the past.

my review:

Ever since reading You Deserve Each Other way back in 2020, I’ve been a big fan of Sarah Hogle’s brand of chaos and romance, so naturally I immediately added her newest release to my TBR list. Unfortunately, this book was not for me in a variety of ways. A lack of foundation for the romance and strong characterization made Old Flames and New Fortunes fall flat for me.

In a small town called Moonville, Romina Tempest runs a magical shop with her two sisters, Luna and Zelda, with the help of Trevor, the now-owner. After purchasing the neighboring rundown lot, they’re in desperate need of a loan from Trever’s father Daniel. However, after a misunderstanding at what turns out to be Daniel’s wedding announcement with the entire family, everyone thinks Romina and Trevor are dating, which they decide not to clear up once they learn that both of their exes are there. The only issue? For Romina, her ex is Alex, the high school sweetheart who broke her heart eleven years ago and the one who she never really got over. Now, he’s the bride’s son so they’re thrown together constantly over this weekend, resurfacing old, intense feelings.

Typically I start a review with what I liked about the book but honestly, there wasn’t really anything I enjoyed about this book…I don’t even think it was necessarily bad but I just genuinely didn’t care for the characters or the plot (what of it that we had) or the romance. As usual, these are my thoughts, you might feel differently, etc.

The biggest issue I had was with the romance. I’m very much a person who cannot get into romances unless the couple has a decent foundation. Other than a couple random flashbacks, I don’t think we got enough explanation for why Romina and Alex’s dynamic/hatred is so intense now, eleven years later. It seemed like a pretty typical high school break-up to me; even that I’d excuse if there was a little more detail but there was such a disconnect between that and their anguish now that I could not get into their dynamic at all.

read my full review here.

I went out in the pouring rain for my walk even though I did not want to go. I’m thinking the “before” and “after” photo should probably be reversed. lol. The last few days I’ve been really wiped out. My legs feel like lead weights. All I want to do is lay down and close my eyes. Yes. Eyes closed is the best feeling in the world right now. Going to do that - be back in 10 minutes.

Okay, I’m back.

I was just notified that the magazine I wrote my story for is now available for pre-order. Print copies will be sent out Oct 21. There will be digital copies available to buy as well. It’s a pricey magazine but I saw the first draft and it looks beautiful. There’s over 100 pages of quality content.

Wildfire Magazine contains personal essays, poetry, art and photography from those who were diagnosed with breast cancer under 50. If you fall in this demographic, I invite you to check it out and maybe submit something yourself!

www.wildfirecommunity.org

I watched a few more movies. The first one was Flora and Son. It’s set in Ireland. A young, tired Mother is having a frustrating time with her rebellious teenage son who keeps getting into trouble. It was recommended (by his parole officer?) that he finds a hobby. The Mother and son eventually bond over music. The acting was good. The music wasn’t bad, either. It was a good movie.

I also watched North of Normal which is based on the memoir by Cea Sunrise Person. It’s a Canadian flick. The movie was about really bad parenting as opposed to surviving the wilderness. The ending was anticlimactic but maybe a sequel will be picked up. (She wrote a second memoir called Nearly Normal.) The story itself is a bit hard to believe - I felt when she came back to “civilization” and regular school (as a young teenager), she handled it well. The adjustment was fairly easy for her, I guess. The movie tends to skip over the part where I’d find the most interesting - when she was living off the grid. I’m sure the book has a lot more information about that. The movie wasn’t bad, though. I liked it.

Today I watched Fool’s Paradise.That was one oddball film. It was supposed to be a comedy but I laughed out loud once and maybe snickered another time. It was ridiculous. Lots of cameos by big name actors but it wasn’t enough to carry the movie. When I read the reviews, it seemed like everyone either loved it or hated it. I don’t think it was terrible but it wasn’t good either. Not really sure what that was. lol.

Yesterday, we had Thanksgiving dinner and tonight we had leftovers. I haven’t been able to eat much as I’m having some stomach issues (pain, nausea) mostly in the mornings and early afternoon. Hopefully, that eases soon. If it’s not one thing it’s another. I talk to my family doctor tomorrow and the pain doctor on Wednesday.

I’m trying to find a new book to read that is easy. The book club book stinks and I can’t get into it. So, I’m going to make some ginger tea, turn on my heating pad and go through my book shelf and see what catches my eye.

Okay............ I am now a subscriber to the "Shang qinghua wrote pidw and since everything LOVES shen qingqiu in pidw including his self insert Gary stu protagonist AND his own love interest mirrors shen qingqiu (AND cucumber bro; one one hand mistreated and cold, left to survive on his own, with a lucky meeting creating an unlikely misunderstood ally at once incredibly loyal and unable to be trusted and on the other hand a noble/well-to-do son, isolated from family and connections except through niche interactions, incredibly dense and/or prone to misunderstanding social interaction)

AND since cucumber loves all the bits of pidw that airplane actually wanted to write originally (the beasts, the character depth, the plot threads) and also Shang qinghua's beloved son— therefore: cucumberplane" mindset

It is really uhh really something that everyone in pidw turns to shen qingqiu like a sunflower, even when Luo binghe is also right there... it's really something that shen qingqiu falls over himself to be immersed in pdiw's flora and fauna.

it's really something that cucumber died thinking about the wasted potential of airplane's magnus opus and airplane died reading cucumber's review and comparing him to a wife

Ugh. UGH I can't believe I'm having emotions about this.