After a nasty breakup with her girlfriend (Kiyoko), musician Becks (Hall) has little choice but to abandon her New York life and return home to live with her church-lady mother Ann (Lahti) in suburban St Louis. To keep herself busy, she starts teaching guitar lessons and playing for tips in a bar owned by high school friend Dave (Fogler). Her music quickly develops a local following, including Elyse (Suvari), who becomes a friend and student, even though she married the guy (Ritchie) who tormented Becks in high school.

Becks' journey has a gently loping pace that allows the audience to discover the character organically. She's a deeply likeable young woman who takes what life throws at her with wry humour and an open heart. And her songs(written by Alyssa Robbins and Steve Salett) are gorgeous, full of soulful yearning and engaging romantic currents. That said, the plot kind of loses steam along the way, spinning in circles before heading into a more heightened dramatic final act that pushes the characters in some inconsistent directions.

At the centre, Hall is relaxed and natural to the point that we feel like we're watching the actress' own story. Her chemistry with each character sparks with life and humour, even when the script wobbles. Lahti and Fogler are superb in their scenes opposite her, while Suvari gets some particularly strong moments of her own in a role that has some surprising wrinkles. There's also a nice late appearance by Zegen as Becks' brother, plus a sparky sequence featuring cowriter Drysdale.

It's great to watch a story unfold with so much confidence, even if it ultimately resorts to dramatic formula. Rooted in the characters, the film smartly maintains an edge of unpredictability in the meandering but involving narrative. As the film continues, it gets so intimate and thoughtful that there doesn't really seem anywhere for it to go, so the writers push things into a conclusion that's contrived and overwrought. It's still engaging, but it's a shame that we can hear the plot's gears grinding.

themes, language, sexuality

7.Feb.18