Title: One More Time
Director: Robert Edwards
Starring: Christopher Walken, Amber Heard, Kelli Garner, Hamish Linklater, Ann Magnuson and Oliver Platt
People who lead the most seemingly charmed and privileged lives, and have the potential to easily thrive on the endless opportunities that are conveniently presented to them, can often times lead the most troubling and unfulfilled lives. They can squander even the most appealing and favorable chance because they feel undeserving of love and success, after not receiving much emotional encouragement throughout their lives. That’s certainly the case with the professedly privileged young protagonist and her once successful father, who are both so eager to make their mark on modern music that they forsake their personal relationships, in the new dramedy, ‘One More Time.’
The music film will be released by Starz Digital into select theaters, and On Demand nationwide, on Friday. The independent movie, which was written and directed by Robert Edwards, is also scheduled to play on the premium cable channel later this year. ‘One More Time’s distribution through Starz Digital comes after it was an official selection at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival and this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
‘One More Time’ follows aspiring rock star Jude (Amber Heard), whose musical career and personal relationships have both become hindered in recent years. As she tries to repair and revive her stalled profession and connections, she sullenly takes on work as a commercial jingles singer, and tries to feel better about herself by immersing herself in one night stands. When she’s subsequently evicted from her Brooklyn apartment, she’s forced to move into the Hamptons home where her father, Paul Lombard (Christopher Walken), and his current sixth wife, Lucille (Ann Magnuson), live. But once she reunites with her father, she realizes she still feels as though he has always been more concerned with himself than anyone else, as he’s always trying to revive and reinvent his own musical career.
Upon trying to emotionally reconnect with her father, Jude is also forced to confront the other problems in her life, including feeling more protected and care for by Paul’s agent, Alan (Oliver Platt). Jude is also struggling to repair her troubled relationship with her overachieving younger sister, Corinne (Kelli Garner). While the two maintain a united front in not always liking and respecting their latest step-mother, the bond between the siblings is tense in other ways, in part because Jude once dated Corinne’s husband, Tim (Hamish Linklater), before he proposed to the younger sister. While Corinne appears to be the perfect member in the family, she’s internally struggling with the fact that she didn’t inherit the musical talent that her father and sister share. As the Lombards attempt to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives, both individually in their careers and personally as a family, they all inadvertently realize how important their relatives truly are to them.
While Paul, and to a lesser extent, Jude, have achieved a taste of fame and success in the music industry, a lofty career goal that not everyone has had the opportunity to obtain, many viewers will surely understand the struggles and determination it takes everyone to relentlessly pursue, and maintain, their dream job. As both the writer and director of the engaging and sentimental ‘One More Time,’ Edwards crafted relatable and complex characters, particularly in Jude, who refuse to give up on their goals, even if achieving them seems entirely impossible.
The filmmaker effortlessly developed the complicated young protagonist, who knows she needs a change in her life, but isn’t entirely sure how to make that alteration, which Heard intriguingly brought to the screen. Despite Jude’s inopportune flaws, which range from her blaming her father’s seemingly selfish behavior for her inability to assume responsibility for her dubious actions, and using her lack of trust as an excuse to not commit to other people, the actress entrancingly showed her character’s emotional fears drove her to such behavior. With the captivating role of the emotionally tainted Jude, the Hollywood Film Festival Spotlight Award-winning performer once again proves that she thrives in such complex and realistic character-driven movies that explore how a person’s environment powerfully impacts their emotions and views.
The existential and emotional struggles that Jude and her father are both facing as they continue to allow their musical achievements and failures define who they are, and how they view their personal value, even at such drastically different stages in their lives, is intriguingly highlighted through the original music Edwards created with musician Joe McGinty. As the two members of the Lombard family who best interact with other people, and express their true feelings, through their personal music, Edwards and McGinty crafted sentimental songs that boldly and fearlessly reflect the most challenging situations the father and daughter are both forced to overcome.
‘One More Time’ is a fascinating and emotional examination into some of the most troubling aspects of life, from feeling as though you’re not completely accepted by your parents, as you haven’t reached what they believe is your full potential, to not finding your own contentment in your personal relationships and career choices. Through the captivating music that Edwards and McGinty created specifically for the dramedy, as well as the complex protagonist who Heard intricately portrayed as having trouble accepting and learning from her professional and personal mishaps, the musical film is a gripping example of how some people need to combat and overcome difficulties in order to accept who they really are.
Written by: Karen Benardello