Review: Golden Globes surprise "Music"
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 12:00PM 
Surely the biggest shock from any awards announcement last week was the inclusion of Music at the Golden Globes. I hadn’t heard of it at that point, and its unexpected appearance will definitely lead to far more people seeking it out than otherwise would have when it arrives on VOD this Friday after a one-night-only IMAX release today. What to make of Sia’s directorial debut? Well, that’s a complicated question.
Music (Maddie Ziegler) is the name of a teenage girl on the autism spectrum who is mostly nonverbal. The steady routines she has established are upended by the death of her caring grandmother (Mary Kay Place), which brings Music’s half-sister, Zu (Kate Hudson), back into the picture after considerable struggles with the law and addiction. Her kindly neighbor Ebo (Leslie Odom Jr.) and building super George (Hector Elizondo) look after Music as well as they can, but the premise here is clear: much as she seems unsuited for the task, Zu has no choice but to step up...
On paper, this film might seem like an inspiring and affirming portrayal of disabilities and accepting people how they are. Many will watch it and find it sincerely moving and affecting. There are also frequent dance numbers that seem to represent the way that Music perceives the world; Though their meaning is never explained, they do boast impressive choreography and lavish costumes.
But the core problem with this film is that it actually ignores its protagonist much more than it features her, utilizing Music’s disability as a catalyst for the other characters to progress and find themselves. Regular debates about diversity in casting won’t be helped by this film, which does spotlight an admittedly impressive performance by a completely neurotypical actress. But Sia has already been confronted about her decision to go that route, and the idea that she tried but failed to find someone to more authentically play the part should call into question her right to tell this story, which is entirely speculative in the way that it interprets Music’s understanding of the world.
Even if cinema is all about creating something that’s not real and it would just be an added bonus if autistic actors got to play autistic characters and gay actors got to play gay characters, this film misses the mark in other areas. Music’s grandmother’s death is never addressed and no one makes an effort to confront that hard truth to her seemingly oblivious granddaughter. Zu’s connection with her sister is much more about coming to terms with her own issues than actually seeing Music for who she is and the value she adds. The romance between Zu and Ebo doesn’t feel at all organic, and Sia’s cameo as herself is unnecessary and distracting. The same goes for Ben Schwartz as Zu’s flamboyant drug supplier, and a subplot involving another character and domestic violence feels unrelated, excessive, and not sufficiently explored.
There are some positives to this experience. Odom sings in three Golden Globe-nominated films this year, and even doing an accent and in a thinner role, he does well. It’s good to see Elizondo alive and kicking after rumors of his demise were falsely circulated this past weekend. Fans of Sia might appreciate seeing her artistic vision and the choreography of those many inarguably bizarre dance sequences. And Ziegler does do an incredible job of realistically portraying Music, though some may find the precise mimicry of nonverbal autism off-putting rather than praiseworthy.
But is this one of the best films of 2020/2021? No. It’s more of a conversation starter, and its inclusion in the Globes lineup will do that, though I don’t imagine the chatter will grow more favorable. Held up against fellow nominees and musical productions like Hamilton and The Prom, this film feels like a work-in-progress that still requires major revisions.
Reader Comments (16)
The power of Mary Kay.
Everything about this film sounds like a nightmare brought to life. In every fathomable and unfathomable way a nightmare can be.
I've already seen mentioned the film Hamilton a lot but I haven't been the curiosity to search information about it and now that I do I realize that is a filmed Broadway production.
This kind of work can be considered a film? What is the criteria to be considered like that? I'd love to add to my archives the productions of Les Luthieres but I'm not sure that can compete equally as a movie film.
Cristin Milioti and Margot Robbie BOTH missed Mus/Com Lead Actress for this. Birds of Prey missed Mus/Com Best Picture for this. And it's actually super incomprehensible, because instead of "typical Globe Star F***ing", it's them, actually uncharacteristically, trying to REVIVE a star who hadn't been relevant, really, for TWELVE YEARS. (No, appearing on Glee didn't make her temporarily relevant. Because, unless you're Jane Lynch, being on Glee is the dictionary definition of irrelevance.) (Her only movie that was both decently reviewed and grossed fairly relative to its budget was being 9th billed in a DreamWorks movie. (Yes, she appeared in the decently reviewed Deepwater Horizon and Marshall right before her four year break, but those movies grossed half or less ($240 and $24 million, respectively) of what they would have needed to gross to justify calling Kate Hudson relevant again and not Box Office Poison.)
And On The Rocks missed out as well. Embarrassing.
And since I'm a completist I probably will watch this movie this weekend. :o
Leslie Odom Jr is IN this movie? Wow.
Raising Helen 2
I'm surprised people hadn't heard of this, as the (overblown) controversy regarding its casting was quite loud on the internet.
For me, the true WTF nomination was for I CARE A LOT. What the heck is I CARE A LOT?
Jonathan: it's a black comedy about a professional ward for the elderly who cheats them out of their savings. Apparently it's quite good, and will be available on Netflix on February 19.
I’m not going to let online bullies stop me from watching this. Sia definitely said some stupid things, yes, but haven’t we all at some point? People make mistakes. I love the few songs I’ve heard from the movie and Leslie Odom Jr is generally great. Looking forward to checking it out!
Volvagia - Are you ok?
And Maddie Ziegler dances... honestly, sounds like a full-length Sia music video with the same kid always doing crazy choreography. If 2 or 3 minutes of Ziegler dancing to Sia songs is quite unbearable, how about 2 hours?
Volvagia, the anger! Please take care of your heart. 😛
This looks so bad and I'm sorry but Ziegler is going full-retard on this role as I'm just getting bad reminders of Cuba Gooding Jr. in Radio, Sean Penn in I Am Sam and... ugh.... Rosie O'Donnell in Riding the Bus with My Sister.
Truth Teller, sadly that's Volvagia's regular intense long-windedness. Usually with a clunky video game reference that nobody gives a shit about. At least this comment belongs in this post and wouldn't be better served being posted at IGN or elsewhere as often is the case.
Personally, I can't wait to see this as the music from Music is wonderful and quite uplifting for these times. I am also fully supportive of any true musical film, which are so rarely made these times. The lead track "Together", was probably my favourite song released last year. My 2 year old knows the words and sings it.
My other daughter got into dancing because she loved Maggie Z's dancing in Chandelier, etc, as a true expression of emotion, but I agree that it is not for everyone--some prefer more classical dance, of course.
The plot line sounds like it might not be best for young kids, but I'll do my best to check it out this weekend.
All the reviews seem to be mostly concerning/highly influenced by the casting controversy, so I'll be formulating my own opinion. Fingers crossed!