Review: Wild Rose

When I first heard about this film and saw the marketing, I felt pretty confident that this was a sure-fire success. With similarities to Sing Street and The Commitments being noticeable in the trailers, I knew I was in for a good time.

It's safe to stay I was right. But maybe not in the way that I was hoping for.

You instantly get the sense of a Ken Loach vibe about the characters, story and general working-class environment we've been transported to. Then you get the street-smart dialogue that already had me laughing a lot in the first act. All of that continued and the story moved along as you might expect this type of story arch to go.
But the final act does take a few turns that I was not expecting and had an ending that felt very poetic and touching.

All of this is thanks to lead Jessie Buckley who is nothing short of brilliant. Buckley gives us a strong and fearless character that certainly brings out all the possible emotions for the audience to experience. From the lows to the highs, this film portrayed a very strong arch with a highly engaging and easily sympathetic character.
Also involved in the cast is Julie Walters, and you don't really need to say much about Walters. She is always great in everything she does and is definitely the best of the supporting cast.

Another strength is the songs. I don't listen to country music often. But when I feel in the mood for it, it works so so well. The use of it in this film is well-timed and highly memorable. I'll certainly be listening to the soundtrack many times.

I have no real negatives to speak of. I think the pay-off not being a highly strong one is what is preventing me from giving anything higher that I what I have given to it already. It's not the fault of the story, it is merely just a personal drawback.

Don't let the last paragraph fool you, this is pure feel-good and I really enjoyed it. Jessie Buckley is terrific as the lead and her easy engagement made her character a joy to see develop.

As expected, the songs are great to see and hear on the big screen and you would definitely want to hear the soundtrack straight after and hear it on your playlist long after you see this.

The type of story is one that had succeeded well with any audiences for many years and I can see this being a popular one for quite a few years as the word gradually spreads. Definitely check this one out if you need a pick-me-up.

Rating: 8/10