Power Ballad
Lionsgate Films | Release Date: May 29, 2026 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Hollywood ReporterAngie HanMar 16, 2026
It’s an earnest mash note to the power of music that resists over-sentimentalizing its sacrifices, or overstating its rewards. Read full review
90
VarietyOwen GleibermanMar 16, 2026
What makes Power Ballad a terrific film is how much we believe this story. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comZachary LeeMar 18, 2026
Power Ballad is a movie that constantly surprises you by plucking chords of hope from a heartbreaking narrative. Read full review
83
The Film StageJohn FinkMar 24, 2026
Carney has offered a sharp, hopeful crowdpleaser that strikes the right notes. Read full review
80
ColliderRoss BonaimeMar 18, 2026
Compared to his other recent work, Carney’s latest pulls back a bit on the music and leans more into the comedy side of things, yet Power Ballad maintains the heart and optimism that is brimming from all his films, and hopefully, it will get the attention it deserves. Read full review
70
Screen RantGregory NussenMar 15, 2026
Power Ballad continues Carney's long run of success with yet another charmer. Of course, it's easy to charm when you have Paul Rudd as your center. Read full review
60
Screen DailyTim GriersonMay 6, 2026
Grappling with serious themes, this wistful comedy opts for a sentimental tone that’s out of rhythm with the more realistic, tough-minded story that occasionally asserts itself. Read full review
60
Next Best PictureGiovanni LagoMar 18, 2026
Carney does dig into something interesting about inspiration: how, in music, it’s an amalgam of origins that’s harder to define than in other art forms. Still, the rest of the film settles for being a feel-good dramedy, with any depth merely trailing behind the tear-inducing monologues these characters deliver. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChris BarsantiApr 22, 2026
Like the fraught relationship between its two musician characters, the film never finds the right groove. Read full review
42
The PlaylistChase HutchinsonMar 15, 2026
Even with some perfectly fine comedic gags, Power Ballad can never overcome the emptiness of its characters and the equally flat, overlit visuals that make the entire thing look more like a bad TV episode than an actual film. Read full review
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