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A Fine Tune

Nisha Ganatra, who directed last year's "Late Night," returns with another look at the entertainment industry and the ever-changing impacts it has on those who work in the business. Her new film "The High Note" is set in the music industry, offering some of the same messages "Late Night" had for late-night television. The world of entertainment changes by the minute, and "The High Note" explores another facet of the cutthroat industry.

Maggie (Dakota Johnson) longs to be a record producer, but for now she is the dedicated and overworked personal assistant to superstar Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross). Grace's long-running career has won her fame, fortune, and eleven Grammy Awards - which she is never hesitant to remind Maggie of - but times are shifting. She is being courted for a Las Vegas residency, which her manager Jack (Ice Cube) thinks she should take, but Grace is worried this could be some sort of a sign that an end is near.

While Grace is the huge star of the story, most of "The High Note" is told through Maggie's perspective. She has been working for Grace for three years as her assistant, essentially running her life, but is ready to show that she can do more. Maggie takes it upon herself to mix one of Grace's albums, which is a clear overstep, but Grace can't deny the quality of her work. It gives Maggie a sense of confidence, which she has been desperately seeking, and she decides to pose as a producer when she meets David (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a talented musician who hasn't made it big yet.

The majority of "The High Note" operates in a predictable narrative, but it's buoyed by glossy, magazine ad imagery of Los Angeles. As a commentary on showbiz, the movie hits a few thoughtful topics about age and race from Grace's perspective, and explores the struggle to maintain relevancy in an industry so keen to cast people aside. From Maggie's vantage point, the movie captures the grind of trying to achieve your dream. She goes to work every day with a smile on her face but only because she hopes she is running Grace's errands and filling her demands in service of something greater. "It's the dream job," Maggie tells her friend (Zoe Chao), "or at least the gateway to my dream job."

Johnson continues to pave her way to a successful post-"Fifty Shades of Grey" career, demonstrating the ability to carry a movie with charm and deadpan wit. Her rapport with everyone in the cast is what allows "The High Note" to work above its frothy atmosphere. Ross embodies Grace's diva persona but imbues moments of sincere humanity when contemplating the future of her career as a singer. Harrison Jr. continues to be one of the great stars on the rise. After a showcase performance last year in "Luce," he shows he can be the leading man in a romantic comedy.

"The High Note" never finds the secret ingredient to make it something truly special or memorable, but spending time in this setting is an enjoyable night with this cast. Ganatra is fascinated with how showbiz treats women at a certain point in their career, and no filmmaker is paying as close attention as she is with her movies.