Jonathan Currinn
After stumbling across the soundtrack to this Swedish film, we were eager to watch and got in contact with their PR team for a review copy. In Sweden, the film is called A Music Story but internationally it is titled Like An American Idol and what a brilliant story it told. If it wasn’t for Ace Wilder being a part of the cast, this film may have sailed right past us, but we’re glad that didn’t happen as this heartwarming story was engaging from start to finish, taking us on quite the music-inspired journey.
Like An American Idol is a Swedish musical film that also contains music with English lyrics. We followed along with the help of English subtitles. It has been directed by Anders Widmark who also stars as Anton (the father) in the family film, he is a two-time Grammis Award winner – which is considered Sweden’s equivalent of the Grammy Awards. Also starring in the film is singer-actress Helen Sjöholm as Elisabet (the mother) as well as the real-life winner of the music competition Super Show Victoria Rönnefall as the main protagonist Moa. The cast also features Claes Malmberg, Jan Malmsjö (who competed in Melodifestivalen this year), Adam Baptiste, and Ace Wilder.
The whole film has a real-life aspect to it as we watch a family go through their ups and downs. Moa is an 11-year-old girl who dreams of being a musician just like her father, Anton, only more of a pop-singer like her idol Ace Wilder. She attends a music school regularly which is where she finds out about this kids TV talent show called Sweet Idols; she plans on entering even though her father has banned her as he believes music shouldn’t be about competing. However, she receives help from her dad’s manager (played by Claes Malmberg), who helped her dad get a music role on TV, which he later lost and now he’s struggling to find work, all the while his manager has come up with a crazy idea which includes selling beer, and her mother is still trying to find her voice whilst teaching people to sing.
Watch The Trailer To Like An American Idol Here:
https://youtu.be/pYg-Eeczq9o
We all have our ups and downs within our own family lives, and this film transports us right into that specific moment within family life where they struggle. It is one film that all of us around the world will manage to identify with in one way or another. Moa is a girl with a dream and for those of us who are fighting for our dreams, we know exactly how it feels to be that girl, and those of us who have said goodbye to our childish dreams can also understand Moa – Victoria Rönnefall really embodies the character and she is the one who grips the viewers throughout.
We may have been following along to the English subtitles but when the music kicked in we could just simply enjoy the English-language songs. The soundtrack is amazing from start to finish with Ace Wilder certainly making an impact with her two songs, but Victoria Rönnefall and Anders Widmark also showcase their vocal ability as well as Helen Sjöholm. It’s undeniable that they have an awesome cast who are capable of taking on these songs and delivering like no one else.
The film was theatrically released in Sweden, under the title A Music Story, on 14 June 2019. If you’re in Sweden, we can’t recommend this film enough and it’s perfect for a family viewing. The only thing we were disappointed with was that it ended – we were glued to the screen so much that we really didn’t want it to end and we wanted to keep watching and seeing what was next for this family.
