film / 2026
Power Ballad
Dublin wedding singer Rick Power pursues credit after Danny Wilson takes a song Rick wrote for his daughter.
Verified facts
- Runtime
- 1h 38m
- Director
- John Carney
- Released
- 2026
- Origin
- Ireland / United States
PlotGeeks explainer signals
Why read this explainer
Distinguish Rick's failed demand in Los Angeles from the evidence found after his return to Ireland. Aja's home video supplies proof his direct appeal to Danny lacked.
PlotGeeks note
Rick begins repairing his family life before he can prove what Danny owes him. The home video changes the song dispute after that personal work has begun.
Timeline
Major events
- Rick shares the song
An evening with Danny gives the pop singer access to Rick's composition.
- Danny's recording becomes a hit
Rick hears his work in public without acknowledgment or evidence he can readily produce.
- The Los Angeles confrontation fails
Danny rejects Rick's demand despite hearing why the song matters to his family.
- Aja finds the home video
A childhood recording proves that Rick wrote the song before Danny released it.
Story in 60 Seconds
The short version
Rick Power sings at weddings in Dublin after putting aside his ambitions for a family life with Rachel and their daughter Aja. At a wedding he befriends Danny Wilson, a former boy-band singer struggling to launch a solo career, and shares an original song with him. Danny later releases it as his own hit. Rick's attempts to claim credit meet disbelief and legal threats. His anger costs him work and harms his family, then drives him and bandmate Sandy to Los Angeles for a confrontation Danny has little incentive to welcome.
Spoiler sectionEnding ExplainedShow ending detailsHide ending details
Danny refuses Rick's demand for credit, even after learning the song was written for Aja. Rick returns to Ireland and repairs his relationships before any financial victory. Aja later finds an old home video proving his authorship. His generous donation to a busker suggests compensation followed, while his return to family and performing had already begun.
Original context
Why it matters
The proof comes from Aja's childhood
The family recording preserves what the music business refuses to recognize. It also confirms the personal origin Danny misunderstood when he treated the composition as a conventional love song.
Key turning points
A private song becomes someone else's hit
Hearing Danny's recording turns Rick's abandoned ambition into a present grievance. Proving authorship becomes harder than knowing that the work is his.
Character links
Who connects to whom
Character motivations
Rick wants acknowledgment
Rick's anger concerns a real theft, yet pursuing recognition damages people who already know his worth. Returning home requires taking responsibility for those consequences.