This review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.

There is a predictability that is attached to watching a John Carney film. That doesn’t mean it is wrong; some will think it works in the film’s favour. And at times, it does. There is this gem inside of Flora and Son that makes it all worth the watch. But if you have seen one John Carney film, in a way, you have seen all of them. 

Flora and Son recounts the story of Flora (Eve Hewson) is a mess. Raising her fourteen-year-old son who can’t stay out of trouble and trying to live the life she was not allowed to live because she had him at such a young age. Trying everything to connect to him, they find common ground when they start opening up about their love of music.

John Carney can be very predictable; his films have a formula. And sometimes – like with Sing String or Once – it works, but the problem with Flora & Son is that he continues to push a love story that just never clicks. The film is more compelling when it just focuses on the people in the feature’s title. When the film focuses on Flora and her son, it shines. 

The story is most interesting when it explores the idea of Flora’s anger towards the hand she was dealt. She had a son so young and unable to do what everyone around her had done. This anger that she has towards everyone is something that the script touches on at times but never explores properly, instead choosing to go with a long-distance love story that is just too typical and not as interesting.

Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters) is a force to be reckoned with in this one. She is the one shining thing about this film where there are no flaws. She commands the screen every time she is on it and crafts a performance that brings this film to a level where it is more than just okay. The romance feels forced, but that is never because of her or even Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Their chemistry makes it more acceptable and bearable. Everyone in the film is good, but she is the memorable one.

The story of Flora and Son is one we have seen before, one that we have heard before. A mother and her son discover each other and a passion they have in common. It has been done before and will be done again, and the film follows a structure that doesn’t challenge itself and doesn’t try to reinvent itself. It is predictable, and if it weren’t for the chemistry between Hewson and Orén Kinlan, who portrays her son, Max, the film would not be able to be anything different.

But the biggest disappointment of the film is the music. Sing Street and Once both had soundtracks that, even today, are replayable and continue to be part of the daily playlist. But the music in Flora and Son brings nothing extraordinary to the table. Maybe it is because it is supposed to be made by a mom and her son, but even then. The film’s last musical number is the highlight, but even that one is not a standout amidst all the music John Carney usually crafts for his movies.

Flora and Son predictability can be okay for some. It is what you expect from a John Carney film; for some, that is enough. But there is sometimes a wish for more than just what you desire. If the formula works once, it doesn’t mean you have to repeat it repeatedly. Nothing is wrong with this film, but it is also not one you will remember when thinking of his career and movies. It is just a film we have seen before, bringing nothing original or new. 

It is a shame because there is potential for something in there, but the film’s insistence on this romance makes it into something it should not be. Instead, there should have been a focus on Flora and her son, as the title implies. And while it is there, there is too much of this romance. In the end, Flora and Son is nothing but forgettable.