Music
Release Date: 14th January 2021 - Australia
Production Companies
Landay Entertainment
Atlantic Films
Pineapple Lasagne Productions
Warner Music Entertainment
Distribution
StudioCanal Australia
Genre: Drama/Musical
Rating: M
Runtime: 107 minutes
Budget: $16,000,000
Box Office Gross: $645,949 (Worldwide)
Plot Summary
Zu is a free-spirited woman who recently went sober and
is trying to find her
place in the world when
she receives the news
that her grandmother
has died. She is about
to become the sole
caretaker of her half-
sister, Music, a young girl
on the autism spectrum.
Cast
Kate Hudson - Zu
Maddie Ziegler - Music
Leslie Odom Jr. - Ebo
Braeden Marcott - Nassir
Beto Cavillo - Felix
Blair Williamson - Abel
Mary Kay Place - Millie
Hector Elizondo - George
Eric Davis - Police Officer
Brandon Soo Hoo - Tanner,
the Boxer
Juliette Lewis - Evelyn
Kathy Najimy - Evelyn's Mom
Sarah Zinsser - Woman at AA Meeting
Sia - Popstar Without Borders (Cameo)
Crew
Music's World Creator/Story/
Screenplay/Additional Music/
Producer/Director - Sia
Screenplay - Dallas Clayton
Writer - Metin Bati
Executive Producers - Len Blavatnik, Danny Cohen, Jonathan Daniel, Julie Greenwald
and Craig Kallman
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Will Weiske
Producer - Vincent Landay
Co-Producer - Jason Baum
Casting - Rachel Tenner and Charlene Lee
Choreographer - Ryan Heffington
Production Designer - Tracy Dishman
Production Designer: Additional Photography/
Art Director - Leigh Poindexter
Set Decorator - Amanda Hallberg
Costume Designer - Christine Wada
Director of Photography - Sebastian Wintero
First Assistant Director: Additional Photography -
Paula Case
Stunt Coordinator - Steven John Brown
Special Effects Coordinator - Elia P. Popov
Visual Effects Supervisor - Janelle Croshaw
Film Editors - Matt Chesse,
Curtiss Clayton and Dana Congdon
Additional Editor - Brad Besser
Additional Editor: Musicals - Loran Askill
Re-Recording Mixer/Sound Designer -
Leo Marcil
Sound Designers - Sylvain Lasseur
and Wylie Stateman
Re-Recording Mixers - Lindsey Alvarez
and Eric Hoehn
Score - Craig DeLeon
Additional Music - Labrinth
Review
I didn't care much about the pop star Sia, though I'm not into her songs. She's proven controversial when this film inaccurately depicts autism as stereotypical and offensive. Many autistic people were insulted by this portrayal, especially with Sia casting a neurotypical actress like Maddie Ziegler as the titular character with severe autism. The restraints in the film proved harmful and dangerous, which isn't a good sign. I'm disappointed with how MUSIC turned out, especially its story when there's not much of a storyline. While the film has good intentions, it lacks the human qualities needed to represent those in a world of cultural diversity. The musical numbers are silly and pointless and do not contribute to the film. From what I've learned, this film was written as a non-musical until the producers convinced Sia to add musical numbers.
Maddie Ziegler seemed miscast as the titular character, and honestly, I don't care if she's as terrible as other people said about her acting in this movie. Since Maddie was her frequent collaborator in her music videos, it was the director. Maybe she should have chosen a different young actress with some autism. While Kate Hudson and Leslie Odom Jr.'s performances were incredible, their roles weren't enough to compensate for the film's failures. Also, Sia's cameo is redundant.
MUSIC fails to deliver good value for a filmgoer's buck. As much as I want to admire this film, I can't because it's disappointing. I would probably not want to see it again. As a recommendation, this movie is not worth viewing for the second time, and you should steer clear of it.
Star rating: (3/10) Disappointing
