Aspiring rock star Jude is stuck in a rut, relegated to recording commercial jingles and lost in a series of one night stands. In need of a place to stay, Jude reconnects with her wealthy father (Christopher Walken), an aging singer who's looking to make a comeback.
One More Time coasts by on Walken's idiosyncratic charm. He has a warm rapport with Heard, and there's solid support from Ann Magnuson as Paul's prickly sixth wife and Oliver Platt as Paul's long-suffering manager.
It should be a more emotionally engaging picture, but "One More Time" only reaches periodic clarity, struggling to find the borders of its vast psychological examination.
Robert Edwards, the writer and director, explores the layers of melancholy contained within these familiar but authentically drawn characters, and he cleverly doles out virtue and vice to each while weaving in acid humor borne from regret.
In a performance that will highlight many a Christopher Walken film festival someday, he combines a willingness to be a caricature of his distinctive self with a dramatic depth and range to create a terrific character.
It's clear that Robert Edwards has a tight artistic vision and the directorial chops to match it... But it fails to maintain the proper tone for such a story, thanks in large part to Walken.
