POWER BALLAD

Power Ballad Turns One Song Into a Battle for Credit

Rick thought his chance at musical stardom had passed him by.

Then someone else became famous with his song.

Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas star in Power Ballad, a music-driven comedy-drama from writer-director John Carney, the filmmaker behind Once and Sing Street.

Rudd plays Rick, a past-his-prime wedding singer who has long since watched his dreams of becoming a successful musician fade away.

Then he meets Danny, played by Jonas, a former boy-band star whose own career is beginning to lose momentum.

After crossing paths at a wedding, the two musicians unexpectedly connect and spend the night talking, drinking and playing music together.

During their late-night jam session, Rick shares one of his original songs.

For Rick, it's simply a moment between two musicians.

For Danny, it's exactly what he's been looking for.

Danny turns Rick's song into a massive hit that revives his career, leaving Rick watching from the sidelines as someone else receives the attention and success he once dreamed of having himself.

Rick decides he wants recognition for what he created.

But his determination to prove the song belongs to him gradually threatens his friendships, family and the life he's built outside of music.

What begins as a fight over songwriting credit becomes something more personal — a story about ambition, self-worth and what happens when the dream you gave up suddenly comes back wearing someone else's name.

Rick wants the world to know he wrote the song.

The question is how much he's willing to lose to prove it.

Power Ballad streams on Starz on September 26, 2026.