Marshall and the Movies

There is really not too much to say about a film like Kate Barker-Froyland’s “Song One,” which seems to be the very definition of a film as trifle.  The story follows Anne Hathaway’s Franny as she tracks down a musician that her estranged brother intended to see, had he not fallen into a coma.  A forced romance with singer/songwriter on the brink, James Forester (Johnny Flynn), ensues, along with all the usual notes any film about grief and troubled families is supposed to hit.

“Song One” contains no notable screeches or strains, although it never makes a sweet sound either.  Barker-Froyland seems afraid to take a bold step and assert something unique about her film.  As a result, the movie becomes forgettable even as it is being consumed.

At this level of safe mediocrity, an actress like Anne Hathaway should be able to step in and effortlessly elevate the material.  Yet even her presence, a far cry from the raw torment she wore on her sleeves in “Rachel Getting Married,” cannot give this dull, dour ditty any character.  Like the rest of the movie, Hathaway is not actively bad, but the passively pedestrian “Song One” disappoints nonetheless.  C /