When a movie promises an epic love affair, they’re setting pretty high expectations from the audience. And sometimes, the movies deliver on their promises. But in the new IFC release Dandelion, not only is the romance lacking from the film, but instead, it gives the characters a lackluster relationship that is filled with more red flags than it is promised. Don’t worry, they don’t leave on a mostly female nude scene to try to make up for it.
Dandelion follows a broke singer (played by Kiki Layne) out of Cinncinatti trying to get her big break. She makes the decision to take the chance at a singing festival at a South Dakota Biker rally (similar to the Sturgis one that is held yearly, just without the branding included). Being a woman of color in a sea of white performers, she already feels out of place until she meets Casey (Thomas Doherty) a successful singer who takes her under his wing. His help quickly turns into a romance, or attraction at the very least. And in between their lovemaking, Casey reshapes everything Dandelion has written or is working on by tearing it down.
Dandelion promises a sweeping love story, and epic type adventure that will leave you breathless. Instead, it barely delivers. Yes, Kiki Layne does a great job at singing and performing. But the actual connection between her character and Casey is very surface-level. Even as brief and fleeting as it may be, his relationship with Dandelion seems to be an implied pattern from his previous band members. And his lack of remorse felt when he’s found out and his impact on Dandelion’s life and career – isn’t something that should be lauded or romanticized. Instead, it should be shown for what it is – red flags on the highest levels.
And the lesson the movie wants viewers to take away? That this brief relationship with a man who only wanted to use Dandelion, like countless others, made such an impact on Dandelion’s music that she succeeded in her career. Not that the character had talent, not that she wouldn’t have made it without him. Just this long weekend romance with a man who broke her heart is what catapulted her into being a successful singer. The premise is almost as thin as the romance that the story promised and failed to deliver.
With all that said, is Dandelion a bad way to spend a couple of hours? Not really. It’s an Ok story with OK music and a decent pacing. There isn’t a lot more that can be said about the movie. Probably the only shining part of the whole thing is Layne’s overall performance, but the rest of the cast seems to be barely set dressing in this two-hour-long film that lacks a much-needed spark.
Dandelion is now in theaters everywhere.
Overall Rating
About Dandelion
Dandelion (KiKi Layne), a struggling Cincinnati singer-songwriter in a downward spiral, takes a last-ditch-effort gig at a motorcycle rally in South Dakota where she meets Casey (Thomas Doherty), a guitarist who walked away from his dream long ago. As Dandelion joins Casey’s nomadic group of struggling musicians, the kindred spirits make music together and strike up a whirlwind romance. The experience moves Dandelion from a narrow view of success to a deeper appreciation of her artistic journey, and the discovery of a voice that is authentically her own.