Flora and Son (2023)

IMDb plot summary: A single mom at war with her son is trying to find a hobby for him. One day, she rescues a guitar from a dumpster.

Directed by John Carney. Starring Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Orén Kinlan.

Flora and Son is the newest movie from John Carney, who always delivers charming music-centric films, most notably Once and Sing Street. This isn't quite as great as either of those, but it's still a lovely watch. Flora of the title is an irresponsible mother trying to keep her teenage son, Max, from getting himself in trouble with the law. Over the course of the movie they both discover they share a newfound love for making music. There's more suspension of disbelief required to buy into the emotional beats of this movie than Carney sometimes asks of his audience, but it works overall. The final scene is particularly charming, as other people who have played a role in Flora and her son's musical journey join them for the Big Musical Number, and it's impossible not to smile through it. Definitely worth watching, especially if stories about musicians and the arts are already an easy sell for you, but it didn't sweep me away the way I hoped it would.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Flora and Son > Skyfall

Flora and Son < Key Largo

Flora and Son > Don't Look Up

Flora and Son < Waking Ned Devine

Flora and Son < Signs

Flora and Son < The Miracle Worker

Flora and Son > The Long Day Closes

Flora and Son > Quartet

Flora and Son < Metal Lords

Flora and Son > Ping Pong Playa

Flora and Son > The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

Final spot: #1397 out of 3863, or 64%.