Robbie Williams, who performed in Almaty last year, naturally included one of his most popular songs, 'Angels,' in his set. The song is essentially the first major hit of his solo career, and its creation involves a lesser-known story. That story is the basis for the film 'This Hit!', which hit Kazakh theaters this week, directed and written by Irish filmmaker John Carney, reports infohub.kz.
In September 1997, Williams released his debut solo album, 'Life thru a Lens.' Despite three consecutive singles, sales were sluggish until December, when producers, label, and artist decided to launch a fourth single, 'Angels.' That changed everything: after 27 weeks, the album shot to No. 1, eventually going eight times platinum in the UK with total sales of four million copies and 218 weeks on the chart. 'Angels' accompanies one of the most tender scenes in the Williams biopic 'Better Man.'
But there was a downside to the success. Irish musician Ray Heffernan claimed that he was the real author of 'Angels.' He said that in 1996, Heffernan and Williams happened to hang out in a pub, and Heffernan sang his song to Robbie, after which they even made a demo in the studio.
Now to the film 'This Hit!'. American Rick Power (Paul Rudd) was once the lead singer of the rock band 'The Octagon,' but while touring in Dublin, he met Rachel, and then came marriage, a child, a house, bills… Now Rick is the lead singer of a wedding cover band, trying to perform his old songs that nobody really wants. At one wedding, Rick meets Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), a former member of a once-popular boy band who is preparing to release his first solo album and whose label demands fresh material and a potential hit.
After an impromptu jam session in Danny's luxurious hotel room, the two musicians, aided by beer, whiskey, and other excesses, share ideas and works-in-progress. Back in Los Angeles, Danny realizes that the song he heard from Rick could—with proper polishing and production—become the breakthrough for his album and career. And it does! Rick, feeling wronged and believing no one, tries to confront Danny, but Danny denies everything.
John Carney is one of the leading creators of musical films in modern cinema—not musicals, but music-driven films. His first solo work was the 2001 drama 'On the Edge' starring Cillian Murphy, but he gained fame with 'Once' (Oscar 2008 for Best Song), 'Begin Again,' and 'Sing Street.'
In 'This Hit!', Carney repeats a tried-and-true formula: a duo of actor and musician on screen, a sentimental and touching story, a bit of humor, and plenty of songs. The result is pleasantly good, though without the brilliance of his most successful works. Paul Rudd, star of recent 'Friends' seasons and Ant-Man, brushed up his vocals and learned to play guitar for the role. One of the Jonas Brothers, Nick Jonas, already had film experience, and given the twists of his own music career, he didn't have to act much. Rudd and Jonas make a great on-screen pair, with Carney telling the story in parallel, careful not to make Danny Wilson a mere secondary character.
Danny has his own motives, his own truth, and his own beliefs about what is permissible. For a while, Carney doesn't exactly shield him but tries—successfully—to show Danny as a complex, doubting personality, to some extent a hostage to his past success.
In contrast, Rick's character is even more dramatic. Carney pushes both his hero and the viewer to the point of doubt: did Rick actually write the song, or is it his drunken delusion, a fantasy born of bitterness over his own creative failures?
Picking up pace—rather slowly—in the first half, Carney delivers an excellent second half without sinking into an overly saccharine ending. 'This Hit!' could have ended in different ways—Carney chose, in my opinion, not the most obvious but a beautiful one. The film is unlikely to be a box office hit, but it might well earn a song nomination at the next Oscars.