THE HIGH NOTE

There’s a feel-good nature about The High Note, which sees frustrated personal assistant Maggie (Dakota Johnson) pursue her dreams of musicproducing with budding young singer David (Kelvin Harrison Jr). But director Nisha Ganatra — whose previous film, Late Night, shares much of the DNA of her latest — has a lot of weighty themes on her mind, including ageism and misogyny in the music industry. As a veteran soul diva who doubts if she’s still got some fresh hits in her, Tracee Ellis Ross is by turns scornful and warm, while Harrison Jr exudes charm as both a love interest and a talented musician (he does all his own singing). So while an unnecessary third-act twist doesn’t quite work, the great chemistry shared by its leads, along with some enjoyable if not instantly hummable songs, makes this a breezy, entertaining and worthwhile ride.