Flora and Son (soundtrack)
| Flora and Son (Soundtrack from the Apple Original Film) | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | September 15, 2023 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 39:50 |
| Label | Lakeshore |
| Producer | |
| Singles from Flora and Son (Soundtrack from the Apple Original Film) | |
| |
Flora and Son (Soundtrack from the Apple Original Film) is the soundtrack to the 2023 film written and directed by John Carney, that stars Eve Hewson, Jack Reynor, Orén Kinlan, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Besides writing and directing, Carney also co-composed and co-wrote lyrics to the original songs with Gary Clark, the latter composed the score and featured vocal performances of the lead actors themselves. The album further featured Tom Waits' "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" and Hoagy Carmichael's "I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)".
The soundtrack was released by Lakeshore Records on September 15, 2023, a week before the film's limited theatrical release. It featured 18 tracks—which also included cues from Clark's score, and the singles: "High Life" and "Meet in the Middle" preceded the soundtrack. It received mixed critical reviews, with praise for incorporating various genres but compared inferiorly to the soundtracks of Carney's previous films.
Development[edit]
Clark and Carney had jointly collaborated in several productions in film, stage and television.[1][2] The cast further rehearsed on performing music and vocals, with Gordon-Levitt at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival stating it as a "dream come true" moment for him to play a musician.[3] Hewson played guitar even before the film was under production and performed all the songs live on screen. In an interview to The Hollywood Reporter, she said that although she wanted to overcome the fear of "singing on stage" she never turned to her father Bono who is a musician, but "rather sing in front of the entire world".[4]
Release[edit]
"High Life", the first song from the album performed by Hewson and Kinlan, released on August 23, the same date as the soundtrack's announcement.[5] It would be submitted at the Academy Award for Best Original Song consideration for the 96th Academy Awards in 2024.[6] The second song "Meet in the Middle", with performances from Hewson and Gordon-Levitt released on September 11, followed by the full soundtrack, four days later.[7]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Guitar Repair" | Gary Clark | 0:45 | ||
| 2. | "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" | Tom Waits | Clark | Joseph Gordon-Levitt | 2:29 |
| 3. | "Abra Da Cabra" | Clark | 2:40 | ||
| 4. | "I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)" | Hoagy Carmichael | Clark | Gordon-Levitt | 0:57 |
| 5. | "Dublin07" | Carney |
|
| 1:46 |
| 6. | "Juanita" | Carney |
| Hewson | 1:12 |
| 7. | "Shopping Mall" | Clark | 0:53 | ||
| 8. | "Welcome to L.A." |
|
| Gordon-Levitt | 1:33 |
| 9. | "I'll Be the One" |
|
| Adam Hunter | 2:35 |
| 10. | "Crumlin to L.A." |
|
|
| 4:38 |
| 11. | "Meet in the Middle" |
|
|
| 3:07 |
| 12. | "Rooftop" | Clark | 2:06 | ||
| 13. | "Court" | Clark | 1:32 | ||
| 14. | "Montage" |
| 2:52 | ||
| 15. | "Flora Watches Max" | Clark | 1:02 | ||
| 16. | "High Life" |
|
|
| 4:32 |
| 17. | "Talking to You" | Clark | Clark | Gordon-Levitt | 2:23 |
| 18. | "The Best Day" |
|
| Hunter | 2:48 |
| Total length: | 39:50 | ||||
Reception[edit]
Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal said that the songs are "exceptionally strong, ranging from rap to bouncy pop, and several of them are co-written by the actors, which may be why they feel so engagingly homemade and personal".[8] Benjamin Lee of The Guardian said as often with Carney's previous films, the music "acts as a transformative force".[9] Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote that the songs "stake out a place somewhere on the spectrum between indie emo earnestness and Loggins and Messina nostalgia" and the performances are "just enchanting enough to carry the day".[10]
Ross Bonaime of Collider wrote "The songs in Flora and Son have a delicate balance to walk: they have to sound good enough to stick with the audience, but it also has to sound like it is coming from amateurs. Yet Carney and Clark’s music manages to pull off that specific mixture."[11] Caryn James of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "The new songs are mostly ballads, some deliberately amateurish and others lovely" while praising the vocal performances as "pleasant, light and modest".[12]
In a negative review, Steven Scaife of Slant Magazine said "the film can’t even lean on its soundtrack to carry these segments. Its corny attempts at rap are unfortunate, while the usual singer-songwriter material is generic and forgettable."[13] Wendy Ide of Screen International felt it as "rather uneven".[14] Damon Wise of Deadline Hollywood wrote "the film doesn’t really advance the formula much and could almost be Sing Street 2, hitting the same notes but with more disappointing songs, tapping into Carney’s by now familiar belief in the redemptive properties of music".[15]
Nicholas Barber of TheWrap wrote "even if the songs themselves, written by Carney and Gary Clark, don’t reach James Blunt’s level, let alone Hoagy Carmichael’s. But “Flora and Son” feels more like a scrappy demo tape than a polished album."[16] Ben Pearson of /Film wrote "Although the songs are pleasant in "Flora and Son," there's no song on its soundtrack that approaches the aching yearning of "Falling Slowly" from "Once" or the catchy "Drive It Like You Stole It" from "Sing Street."[17] Monica Castillo of RogerEbert.com wrote "the soundtrack is more discordant this time. The majority of the compositions are either acoustic (traditional grounds for Carney) or a cross electro-pop rap dance music that don't quite work as well as, say, the soundtracks to “Once” or the '80s tribute “Sing Street.”"[18]
References[edit]
- ^ "Director John Carney sings a new song with 'Flora and Son'". Los Angeles Times. September 22, 2023. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Morgan, David (September 13, 2023). "'Flora And Son' Director John Carney Goes Big By Staying Small: "The Human Stories That We Recognize Don't Have To Be Huge" — TIFF Studio". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Carey, Matthew (January 22, 2023). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Displays Singing, Guitar Chops In John Carney's 'Flora And Son,' Opposite Eve Hewson: "I've Always Been A Musician At Heart" – Sundance Studio". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ Alex, Ritman (January 20, 2023). "Eve Hewson on John Carney's Sundance-Bowing Music Drama 'Flora and Son' and Why She Didn't Ask Her Dad (Bono) for Singing Tips". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ Scorziello, Sophia (August 22, 2023). "Eve Hewson Drops First Track From 'Flora and Son,' Musical Film With Joseph Gordon-Levitt (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Davis, Clayton (September 21, 2023). "'Flora and Son' Will Submit Original Song 'High Life' for Oscar Consideration, Joseph Gordon-Levitt for Supporting (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Ames, Jeff (September 12, 2023). "Flora and Son Soundtrack Releases Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Eve Hewson Song". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Smith, Kyle. "'Flora and Son' Review: John Carney's Moving Irish Musical". WSJ. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Lee, Benjamin (January 23, 2023). "Flora and Son review – musical crowd-pleaser plays a simple but sweet tune". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (January 25, 2023). "'Flora and Son' Review: Eve Hewson Has Major Movie-Star Presence in John Carney's Irresistible Dublin Musical Bauble". Variety. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Bonaime, Ross (February 4, 2023). "'Flora and Son' Review: John Carney's Beautiful Dramedy Shows How Music Connects Us All | Sundance 2023". Collider. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ James, Caryn (January 23, 2023). "'Flora and Son' Review: Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt Make Music Together in John Carney's Latest Irish Charmer". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Scaife, Steven (September 21, 2023). "'Flora and Son' Review: A Spread-Thin Aspirational Musical Tale". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (January 23, 2023). "'Flora And Son': Sundance Review". Screen. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Wise, Damon (January 23, 2023). "Sundance Review: Eve Hewson Breaks Out In John Carney's 'Flora And Son'". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Barber, Nicholas (January 23, 2023). "Flora and Son Review: John Carney's Latest Plays Like Almost Too Much of a Good Thing". TheWrap. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Pearson, Ben (January 23, 2023). "Flora And Son Review: Sing Street's John Carney Returns With A New Music-Filled Dramedy [Sundance]". /Film. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Castillo, Monica. "Flora and Son movie review & film summary (2023)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.