Hearts Beat Loud

Nick Offerman and Kiersey Clemons make for a winning, inspirational father-daughter team in Hearts Beat Loud, a music-infused cinematic gem that will stand as one of the summer’s under-the-radar greats. Frank (Offerman), a record-store owner—mostly vinyl—with a gruff attitude, has fallen on tough economic times, not good considering his daughter, Sam (Clemons), is about to leave for med school. He informs his landlord, Leslie (Toni Collette, having a great year), that the store will close, and he’s at a sort of spiritual crossroads. He takes great solace and comfort in his mandatory musical jam sessions with his kid, both of them being decent enough musicians, with Sam actually being pretty damn good. She has a knack for songwriting but doubts her talents. Frank pushes her to create, marvels in what she’s able to come up with and suggests they form a real band. Sam pushes back, wanting to focus on the whole becoming-a-doctor thing, but Frank persists, ultimately uploading one of their demos to Spotify. He hears the song in a coffee shop one morning, and it’s a great moment. As a testament to how the face of the music industry has changed, an artist hears his music streaming on somebody’s “mix” rather than broadcasted on the radio in his car. The film is somewhat of an endorsement for Spotify and vinyl. None of this would work if the music stunk. It doesn’t. It’s good. Offerman and Clemons combine for some sweet music making, including the film’s title track, one that is repeated often in the movie. Offerman is no Jimi Hendrix, but he handles his guitar parts with enough finesse to make you think he’s been playing a long time, and Clemons is a natural wonder with a great voice. It must also be said that the people in this movie have great musical taste. The soundtrack and the characters reference a who’s who of great artists, including Ween, Animal Collective, Jeff Tweedy, Spoon and Mitzki. It’s the best music-store movie since High Fidelity.