Music (2021 film)

Music is a 2021 American musical drama film directed by singer-songwriter Sia. The film was co-written by Sia and children's book author Dallas Clayton and stars Kate Hudson, Maddie Ziegler and Leslie Odom Jr. It marks Sia's directorial debut, and Ziegler's first starring role.[8][9][10][11]

Music
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySia
Produced by
Screenplay by
Story bySia
Starring
Music by
CinematographySebastian Winterø
Edited by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • January 14, 2021 (2021-01-14) (Australia)
  • February 12, 2021 (2021-02-12) (United States)
Running time
107 minutes[6]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$16 million[7]

Music was released in Australia on January 14, 2021, by StudioCanal and is scheduled to be released in select IMAX theatres in the United States for one night on February 10, 2021, followed by an on demand release on February 12, 2021, by Vertical Entertainment.[12]

At the 78th Golden Globe Awards the film received a nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and Hudson was nominated for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

Premise

Zu (Kate Hudson), a free spirit estranged from her family, is a newly sober drug dealer and finds herself the sole guardian of her teenaged, autistic half-sister, Music (Maddie Ziegler), following the death of her grandmother, who raised Music. Zu is a free spirit barely able to take care of herself, let alone her sister; Zu struggles with this new responsibility, but soon learns that life's obstacles are made easier with a little help from a friend, Ebo (Leslie Odom Jr.), a neighbor whose own family story makes him someone Zu can learn from and rely upon. The film explores the tenuous bonds that hold us together and imagines a world where those bonds can be strengthened in times of great challenge. Fantasy musical sequences take place inside the title character's mind, showing how she views the world.[13]

Cast

Background and development

Sia announced the film project at the 2015 Venice Film Festival, to star Maddie Ziegler, who starred in a series of music videos that Sia co-directed with Daniel Askill[19][20] and who has danced during many of Sia's live performances.[20][21] After creating the music video for "Chandelier" in 2014, Sia decided she was "pretty good" at directing and "felt a little bit braver".[19] The film's screenplay was co-written by Sia and children's book author Dallas Clayton based on a one-page story that she had written in 2007.[22] Sia enjoyed the creative process and noted similarities between directing and writing songs. She said:

For me, the process was basically, I work out the movie. I'll act it out, I'll have the dialogue already in my head... I can't be bothered to learn Final Draft.[20] Like, when I sing, I just want to sing the melody and write the lyrics. I don't want to have to do production, which is very technical. I don't enjoy that.[19]

The project, originally conceived as a non-musical film, was subsequently made into a musical. The transformation into a musical saw the film's budget increase from $4 million to $16 million.[23] Songs were written by Sia, with choreography by her frequent collaborator Ryan Heffington. It was first given the working title Sister and subsequently renamed Music.[24][25] The character of Zu was originally male, and was to be portrayed by Shia LaBeouf; he was replaced by Kate Hudson who, alongside Leslie Odom Jr., joined Ziegler as co-stars.[26][27][28] The film was shot in mid-2017.[29][30] At the time, Ziegler was 14 years old.[31]

Release and promotion

Sia stated in 2019 that the film was set for release in October of that year.[32] As of June 2020, it was expected to be released later in 2020,[33] but was further delayed to early 2021.[34]

In October 2020, the film's producers announced that HanWay Films were to handle global sales, distribution and marketing.[4][2] A teaser trailer for Music was released by Sia on November 19, 2020.[35][36][37][38] The US trailer was released on January 15, 2021 by Sia and distributor Vertical Entertainment.[39][40]

Music was released in Australia on January 14, 2021 by StudioCanal.[41] In the United States, it is scheduled to be released in select IMAX theatres for one night on February 10, 2021,[42][43] followed by a premium video on demand release across the country on February 12.[12][40]

Its release in various other markets is scheduled for February 2021.[44] The film is also set to be released on DVD[45] and Blu-ray formats in March 2021.[46]

Reception

Response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Music received an approval rating of 29% based on 7 critics, with an average score of 4.20 out of 10.[47]

Andrew McMillen of The Australian wrote that Music is a "portrait of autism in all its inward splendour and outward challenges", and praised Ziegler's portrayal of the title character, describing her performance as "moving, singular and perfectly pitched" and as "one of the most moving, magnetic and complete performances in recent memory".[48] Glennys Marsdon of SoPerth wrote that the film is "a celebration of imagination, life, family, community, acceptance, trust and a reminder that there is no shame in asking for help", commending it as "a musical drama not a documentary". Praising Ziegler's performance and defending Sia's casting choices, Marsdon questioned why an argument wasn't also made against Hudson being cast as a drug addict and dealer.[49] Mark Morellini of Star Observer wrote that the film is "a joy to watch", and applauded Ziegler's performance, describing it as "realistic and emotionally charged". He also praised the musical sequences, describing them as "enchanting".[50] Rachael Mead of InDaily, described the musical interludes as "both visually stunning and musically stunning".[51]

Jake Wilson of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote more critically of the film, calling it "scarcely less of a baffling fiasco" than Tom Hooper's Cats that "leaves you wondering what anyone was thinking" and said the casting of Ziegler as an autistic girl is "self-evidently problematic" in the 2020s.[52] James Croot of Stuff also compared Music to Cats, and noted that the "characters are one-dimensional" and that "an inexplicable cameo from Sia herself is simply bizarre".[6] Stephen Russell of Time Out noted Music is "a well-intentioned but messily fantastical neurodiversity drama", giving it 2 out of 5 stars and comparing it to Rain Man.[53] Lucy Rutherford of PerthNow accused the film of being "tone deaf", and wrote that the narrative flow being "interrupted by an album's worth of Sia music videos gets old very quickly" and that the musical sequences "are not a replacement for giving Music a genuine point of view".[54] Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote it "lacks credibility", with Ziegler's "distracting" performance feeling "ill-judged at best". He also penned that it is, in effect, "two very different films with wildly disparate tones" stuck together poorly.[55] Clem Bastow, writing for the same paper, criticized Music's portrayal of autism, stating that it used "abject stereotypes", and noting that Ziegler’s performance as the title character is the "standout disaster, serving us 'autism' the Rain Man way." She further wrote that "Music manages to both underestimate autistic people and infantilise them." Bastow also raises concerns about the portrayal of the potentially dangerous prone restraint displayed in the film, which can cause positional asphyxia.[56] Sophie Buck of Dazed wrote that the film is "the latest in decades of reductive and stigmatising representations of autistic people", declaring that "the ableist gaze is pretty clear" and asking "why autistic people [are] shamed for being themselves, but a neurotypical actor gets rewarded for inaccurately and reductively assuming an autistic identity".[57]

In February 2021, Sia acknowledged criticism of the film by some members of the autistic community and apologized.[58] In response to criticism of its use of physical restraint, she announced that future screenings of the film would be preceded by a warning, and would have the scenes involving restraints removed.[43][59][60] The BBC's Drew Miller Hyndman wrote: "For many in the autistic community, Sia's apology is being seen as too little too late".[43] On the other hand, the National Council on Severe Autism published a letter from an autistic fan titled "Thank You for Representing a Girl with Severe Autism".[59]

Box office

In Australia, Music grossed $286,000 through its first weekend of release,[61] and $446,000 in its first full week.[62]

Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipients Result Ref.
Golden Globe Awards February 28, 2021 Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Music Pending [63]
Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical Kate Hudson Pending

Soundtrack
Main article: Music – Songs from and Inspired by the Motion Picture

Sia wrote 10 songs for the film, some of which are featured on her upcoming studio album Music – Songs from and Inspired by the Motion Picture, due for release by Monkey Puzzle and Atlantic alongside the film in February 2021. The album also includes material inspired by the film.[64] Sia released her version of "Together" as the lead single from the soundtrack on May 20, 2020.[65] A second single, "Courage to Change", was released on September 24, 2020.[66]

A clip of Hudson singing the song "1+1" exclusively aired on the MTV Movie and TV Awards: Greatest of All Time on December 6, 2020.[67][68] "Music", also performed by Hudson, was released alongside the accompanying film scene on January 26, 2021.[69] "Beautiful Things Can Happen" by Leslie Odom Jr., from the film, was released on February 2, 2021.[70] The full cast version of the soundtrack is expected to be released alongside the Sia album on February 12, 2021.[71]

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