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Whitney Houston in “The Bodyguard.” Eminem in “8 Mile.” Cher in “Moonstruck.” Musicians swapping out the studio in favor of the silver screen is nothing new to the industry.
In “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” singer-songwriter and producer the Weeknd adds himself to the long list of musician-actor double threats. Unlike many of his predecessors, his first film is subpar.
The movie marks his feature film debut and was released May 16 to accompany his latest album of the same name.
Directed by Trey Edward Shults, the film follows Abel (the Weeknd), an insomniac artist reeling from a devastating breakup.
After a concert that Abel was reluctant to perform in goes horribly wrong, he encounters Anima (Jenna Ortega), a superfan who forces him to face his deepest truths: mainly those concerning the inspiration behind his music. The movie then spirals into a thriller, featuring intense stand-offs and confusing visuals.
The worst part is the disconnected plot. In theory, the concept of exploring the music industry’s ups and downs is interesting. The way “Hurry Up Tomorrow” went about it was nonsensical.
In the opening minutes, the plot is split between Anima burning her house down due to familial problems and Abel having a breakdown over his breakup.
There is no explanation for why Anima acted this way. All the audience learns is that she is a major fan of the Weeknd, to the point where it drives her to extreme measures.
The film also lacks well-rounded characters. Abel is blatantly modeled after The Weeknd in reality, down to the two sharing the same name. The two supporting characters, Anima and Lee (Barry Keoghan), however, barely further the plot.
Had there been more time spent on developing the characters as opposed to focusing on futuristic visuals, the film might have been more entertaining and easier to follow.
Perhaps stronger acting could have masked the plot holes, but this was unfortunately not the case. Starring alongside Golden Globe-nominated Ortega and Keoghan, the Weeknd’s performance is far below his co-stars’ level. His delivery is so melodramatic that even serious scenes were laughable.
The one highlight of the film is, unsurprisingly, its music. The Weeknd often supplements music with visuals. Short films accompanied his two albums prior to “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” “Dawn FM” and “After Hours,” as well as the short-lived HBO series “The Idol,” which he created and starred in.
Across the board, the music in these media has been excellent, and this film was no exception. The song “Drive” in particular added so much to the scene it was in, and the overall portrayal of the concert atmosphere was one of the higher points.
As a fan of the Weeknd myself, I am looking forward to new music. However, if a film accompanies it, I do not think I will be venturing to the theater.
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