A musician from Glasgow dreams of becoming a Nashville star.
Jessie Buckley is a true star. I first noticed – and admired – the young actress in Michael Pearce’s “Beast” (read my review here), a sensual but underwhelming melodramatic thriller, anchored by her charismatic central performance. Similarly, she absolutely rocks director Tom Harper’s uplifting country music drama “Wild Rose.” The Glasgow-set film may go through most of the motions of your typical U.K. underdog story (see: “Billy Elliot,” “Swimming with Men,” “Pride,” “One Chance”), but does so with clear affection for its characters, nuance and verisimilitude lacking in, say, its big-budget, overblown, award-bait counterpart, “A Star Is Born.” Get ready for your knees to get buckley.
Rose-Lynn (Buckley) believes she was born in the wrong place. While her life – which involves incarceration for smuggling heroin, two neglected young children, and Marion (Julie Walters), the matriarch who holds it all together – unfolds in Glasgow, Rose-Lynn’s heart belongs in Nashville. Or so she firmly believes, doggedly pursuing her dream of becoming a star in the Mecca of country music. She wears denim, never takes off her headphones or signature white cowboy boots, standing out in the crowd – and lovin’ it. When an opportunity presents itself in the form of Sophie Okonedo’s kind-hearted employer/friend Susannah (Sophie Okonedo), the talented young singer doesn’t hesitate to grasp it… Yet it’s a hard-knock life for convicted felons in Glasgow; torn between her children and her dreams, Rose-Lynn ultimately has to make her Sophie’s (Rose-Lynn’s?) choice.
Outspoken, vulnerable and stubborn, a neglectful mother and a gentle soul – but primarily a fabulous singer – Buckley oozes charisma and energy. She doesn’t hesitate to push an inferior singer off a stage and take over, utterly confident in her presence and powerhouse voice – until the heartbreaking final performance when that veneer of boldness gets punctured. The young actress knocks it out of the park. The rest of the cast keeps up, especially the esteemed Julie Walters (who coincidentally appeared in the aforementioned “Billy Elliot” and “One Chance”), her wise Marion wanting the best of both worlds for her daughter.
I enjoyed how Harper subverts some of the expectations that come with a well-worn tale such as this: there’s no cheesy romantic subplot; there’s no glamorization of the music scene; and the final, eye-opening trip to Nashville truly puts things in perspective, emphasizing “Wild Rose”’s central theme of living out your dream vs. living a fantasy. I’m far from being a country music fan, but I found myself tapping along to some of the tunes. Mostly, though, “Wild Rose” marks the blossoming of a major screen talent.
In theaters Friday, June 21st
