May 7, 2024
FILM: THE GREATEST HITS
DIRECTED BY: NED BENSON
STARRING: LUCY BOYNTON, JUSTIN H. MIN, DAVID CORENSWET
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
If you’re reading this, you probably already know that I’ve been writing a memoir covering every year of my life and the songs that have been a part of it (danpal.substack.com). I started the project because I believe in the power of music and how individual songs can reflect key moments in our lives. It’s then no surprise that I’d be drawn to The Greatest Hits, a new film streaming on Hulu, written and directed by Ned Benson. Lucy Boynton plays Harriet (coincidently the name of my late mother who introduced me to a lot of pop music when I was very young.) Two years before the current events of the film, Harriet loses her boyfriend Max (David Corenswet) in a car accident that has left her with a brain injury. Now, whenever she hears certain songs, she finds herself back in the past with Max, thus disrupting whatever situation she finds herself in at present. The conceit of this story is interesting as Harriet repeatedly chooses specific songs with a specific desire to return to that past. She sits in front of her TV and, in an allusion to the Maxell cassette tape ads from decades ago, she is pulled again into that life with Max.
I like the idea because I do believe music has that power…not that it can physically take us into the past but emotionally for sure. In the case of The Greatest Hits, one has to buy into the concept of time travel to accept what is happening to Harriet. She finds that by entering the past she can also alter it. To complicate matters, she meets David (Justin H. Min) who, as a possible love interest, seems to represent a way for her to forget her past and move on. They bond pretty quickly and a bit conveniently. I thought the relationship comes across as almost too good to be true. David has a very sweet smile and seems the perfect romantic interest for Harriet until she starts talking about her abilities and his disbelieving reaction comes across as out of character and insensitive.
The film is then part romantic drama, part a philosophical exploration of grief, and part science fiction. Therein lies not really a problem with the film but a clunky-ness to the storytelling that left me scratching my head a few times. These elements can go together but each feels a bit shortchanged by the other. Benson follows certain conventions of a classical romantic narrative while also exploring the difficult nature of grief. There are moments when Harriet reads Eckhart Tolle’s famous book The Power of Now suggesting she is aware that she needs to move on. Another book that sits nearby is Alex Ross’s The Rest is Noise. At times, Harriet tries to drown out the noise of her past by wearing headphones so she isn’t triggered by music that takes her back in time but, as I mentioned, she also purposely wants to be with Max in the past. Perhaps that is one of the complications the film is exploring surrounding grief: we want to be there but we don’t. Harriet does and doesn’t want to listen to music associated with Max. She wears his clothes and takes care of his dog. Yet she also seems interested in what David can offer her in the present.
The science fiction part complicates this though because of the introduction of time travel. Unless I’m missing something about life, most people grieving today don’t have the ability to travel through time and change a tragic course of events. So, in real world terms, the film doesn’t really answer the question of how to get over grief.
Still, as I watched, I remained intrigued by what Benson was attempting but still had some issues with how the story progresses. There is at least one fatal flaw here, for instance, as David gives Harriet a ride in his recently deceased parents’ antique car which has no seat belts. Wouldn’t Harriet not want to drive in a car without seat belts after losing the love of her life in a car accident? I can’t really ascertain if this was intentional or just completely misguided.
Also, curious here is that Harriet, David, and Harriet’s good friend Morris are all completely devoted to vinyl in the 2020s. I know this has been a bit of a trend, but really, no digital music?? Is this some kind of alternate reality where CDs and ITunes never happened?? Most of the music played is by recent independent artists such as Lana del Rey and girl in red. There are mentions of artists from the past such as Steely Dan and Roxy Music (the latter of which makes a cameo here) but this is definitely a contemporary story. It is great to see all that vinyl and all of those young people embracing stores with records and books AND loving an 80s band such as Roxy Music. Perhaps it all amounts to a lot of wishful thinking on the part of the film’s writer/director.
So, maybe the film is complete science fiction, filled with improbable scenarios. It is the kind of film that will appeal to those who like romance more than those who love the power of music and sci fi more than a true lesson in how to handle grief. If that works for you, then see it.
The Greatest Hits is currently streaming on Hulu.
FILM: THE GREATEST HITS
DIRECTED BY: NED BENSON
STARRING: LUCY BOYNTON, JUSTIN H. MIN, DAVID CORENSWET
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
If you’re reading this, you probably already know that I’ve been writing a memoir covering every year of my life and the songs that have been a part of it (danpal.substack.com). I started the project because I believe in the power of music and how individual songs can reflect key moments in our lives. It’s then no surprise that I’d be drawn to The Greatest Hits, a new film streaming on Hulu, written and directed by Ned Benson. Lucy Boynton plays Harriet (coincidently the name of my late mother who introduced me to a lot of pop music when I was very young.) Two years before the current events of the film, Harriet loses her boyfriend Max (David Corenswet) in a car accident that has left her with a brain injury. Now, whenever she hears certain songs, she finds herself back in the past with Max, thus disrupting whatever situation she finds herself in at present. The conceit of this story is interesting as Harriet repeatedly chooses specific songs with a specific desire to return to that past. She sits in front of her TV and, in an allusion to the Maxell cassette tape ads from decades ago, she is pulled again into that life with Max.
I like the idea because I do believe music has that power…not that it can physically take us into the past but emotionally for sure. In the case of The Greatest Hits, one has to buy into the concept of time travel to accept what is happening to Harriet. She finds that by entering the past she can also alter it. To complicate matters, she meets David (Justin H. Min) who, as a possible love interest, seems to represent a way for her to forget her past and move on. They bond pretty quickly and a bit conveniently. I thought the relationship comes across as almost too good to be true. David has a very sweet smile and seems the perfect romantic interest for Harriet until she starts talking about her abilities and his disbelieving reaction comes across as out of character and insensitive.
The film is then part romantic drama, part a philosophical exploration of grief, and part science fiction. Therein lies not really a problem with the film but a clunky-ness to the storytelling that left me scratching my head a few times. These elements can go together but each feels a bit shortchanged by the other. Benson follows certain conventions of a classical romantic narrative while also exploring the difficult nature of grief. There are moments when Harriet reads Eckhart Tolle’s famous book The Power of Now suggesting she is aware that she needs to move on. Another book that sits nearby is Alex Ross’s The Rest is Noise. At times, Harriet tries to drown out the noise of her past by wearing headphones so she isn’t triggered by music that takes her back in time but, as I mentioned, she also purposely wants to be with Max in the past. Perhaps that is one of the complications the film is exploring surrounding grief: we want to be there but we don’t. Harriet does and doesn’t want to listen to music associated with Max. She wears his clothes and takes care of his dog. Yet she also seems interested in what David can offer her in the present.
The science fiction part complicates this though because of the introduction of time travel. Unless I’m missing something about life, most people grieving today don’t have the ability to travel through time and change a tragic course of events. So, in real world terms, the film doesn’t really answer the question of how to get over grief.
Still, as I watched, I remained intrigued by what Benson was attempting but still had some issues with how the story progresses. There is at least one fatal flaw here, for instance, as David gives Harriet a ride in his recently deceased parents’ antique car which has no seat belts. Wouldn’t Harriet not want to drive in a car without seat belts after losing the love of her life in a car accident? I can’t really ascertain if this was intentional or just completely misguided.
Also, curious here is that Harriet, David, and Harriet’s good friend Morris are all completely devoted to vinyl in the 2020s. I know this has been a bit of a trend, but really, no digital music?? Is this some kind of alternate reality where CDs and ITunes never happened?? Most of the music played is by recent independent artists such as Lana del Rey and girl in red. There are mentions of artists from the past such as Steely Dan and Roxy Music (the latter of which makes a cameo here) but this is definitely a contemporary story. It is great to see all that vinyl and all of those young people embracing stores with records and books AND loving an 80s band such as Roxy Music. Perhaps it all amounts to a lot of wishful thinking on the part of the film’s writer/director.
So, maybe the film is complete science fiction, filled with improbable scenarios. It is the kind of film that will appeal to those who like romance more than those who love the power of music and sci fi more than a true lesson in how to handle grief. If that works for you, then see it.
The Greatest Hits is currently streaming on Hulu.