361. The High Note; movie review

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THE HIGH NOTE

Cert 12

113 mins

BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language

It couldn't have taken Tracee Ellis Ross much imagination to play the role of a singer who lives the cosseted life of a superstar.

After all, her mum is Diana Ross - one of the most successful in history.

Thus, I wondered how much advice she had offered to writer Flora Greeson and director Nisha Ganatra on the set of The High Note.

Mind you, Dakota Johnson could have weighed in too - as she was brought up by two film star parents.

Johnson plays Maggie, the personal assistant to very demanding superstar, Grace Davis (Ross).

But while she is at her beck and call, day and night, she harbours a dream to become a record producer, having built up an encyclopaedic knowledge of music.

Her hopes are regularly put down by Grace's manager (Ice Cube) so she sees an opportunity to hone her skills on a handsome, talented and unsigned warbler (Kelvin Harrison Jr).

Indeed, she tells her potential star that she is already a big-time producer to ensure that they begin working together.

The High Note is as packed with good music as it is stereotypes.

Maggie is a goody-two-shoes whose ambition outweighs her guile and, consequently, the audience constantly fears that her two worlds will collide.

Grace is more complex but has typical star demands of what she sees as her underlings while being insecure about her future.

Harrison's character is simply too nice and talented to be credible and Cube's manager just throws his weight around but lacks anything behind a gruff exterior.

On the plus side, the music during The High Note is very easy on the ear. I was surprised that this is the first time which Ross has performed publicly. She is that good.

And there is no doubt that this is a pretty picture. The cast is uniformly beautiful and as the characters are all rich, they live in beautiful surroundings and dress immaculately.

This even applies to Maggie who is meant to be a near-penniless wannabe.

It's all jolly disarming while taking few chances. Sure there are a couple of sidesteps but The High Note is not a challenge and it is quite likely that its fans are happy with that.

Reasons to watch: The disarming Dakota Johnson

Reasons to avoid: It's all been done before

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? Tracee Ellis Ross is is best known in the US for starring in TV series including Girlfriends and Black-ish. She has not previously been known as a singer.

The final word. Tracee Ellis Ross:"I always wanted to sing. I didn't put it away, but I think the longer you wait to do certain things the more frightening they get... The idea of comparison because of who my mom is or the judgement of doing it now at this age became bigger than the dream. So, when this role came along, I was like, 'it's time'." BBC

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