The High Note

 A review by Azzam Abdur-Rahmann

2020 gave us a lot of movies that disappeared into the ether.  Because of this a movie I was excited about fell to the wayside. That film was The High Note. A movie about a diva singer in the twilight of her career and her assistant dreaming of producing a record that will never come from her. I love movies about people with dreams that don’t often go the way they would like but The High Note surpassed my expectations.

First let’s talk about the direction. Nisha Ganatra is on a roll careers wise. She directed Late Night for Mindy Kaling after replacing Paul Feig and she turned in an assured film that felt modern and also incredibly respectful of what comedies of that nature used to do. All of that strength came back here. No character is wasted. No moment unimportant. The movie moves in a way that everything if a breadcrumb to how small the world is especially the world of music.  It’s powerfully understated. 

The acting is also incredible, Dakota Johnson and Trace Ellis Ross are game with Ross bringing all the weight of being Diana Ross’s daughter but the star of the show is Ice Cube. Ice Cube in the last decade has become a masterful character actor. Someone who can bring comedy, fear and an odd sense of pain that is hard to ignore. The small players also shine but another shout out has to go to Kelvin Harrison Jr. who explodes off the screen as a star in every scene.

Most importantly this movie used a white actor  in a mostly black film beautifully. Compared to most films where there is the awful concept of a “magical negro” this movie does something different. A film about black people speaking about their limitations in a career and in America often and a while person refused to accept that and using their whiteness as a motivator was honestly kind of refreshing. There is a moment where Dakota Johnson’s character believes that Trace Ellis Ross’ character can have another hit at her age but she points out as a black woman this is it. Most films would see this as the end, her whiteness and love of her artistry keeps her blind to that. Sometimes in this world we need someone to see something different.

Look give the High Note a shot! It’s a great flick. It made me so happy and it gave me incredible joy. 

Rating: 4/5