I was disappointed to find that Sia's directorial debut isn't the trainwreck everyone says it is. That's why I decided to check it out because of all the negative reviews. What exactly is everyone having a problem with? Apparently, the detractors all hate the lead performance and even invented terms like Autistic Blackface to describe it. They all treat this movie as if it were an affront to humanity because of this performance saying that it's degrading to autistic people. Well, I'm high functioning autistic and I expected to be offended but came away realizing the character Music is meant to be low functioning. She can't speak, only communicates in noises and wears headphones to filter out the noise of the world because she has sensitive hearing. Sure, this isn't my experience and it isn't the experience of a lot of autistic adults, and I think the filmmakers know this. This character is not meant to be a representation of every autistic person in the world. I get that and was okay with the movie.

Basically, what we get is a retread of the Tom Cruise/Dustin Hoffman classic Rain Man and while it isn't original, it does have some nice unique touches that make it interesting. I love the creative music video sequences that Music dreams up, her way of communicating with the world, her way of making sense of it. I also found this movie to have heart, and I totally believe that Sia did this as a labor of love and a tribute to a good friend of hers who has autism.

This isn't the worst film I've seen by a long shot and I think it just became popular to hate on this film as some misguided act of virtue signaling. The more egregious act has been all of these people getting offended by this film in my place.

Mark Kermode gave his opinion of this movie on The Film Review for BBC News, he said it was "woefully misjudged", "a misguided mess", and "toe-curlingly bad and I would advise you to avoid it". To me, it is opinions like that, and of course the nominations and wins at the Razzies, that increase my curiosity, so I still watched this, the Razzie winning directorial debut of singer Sia (also writing and producing). Basically, following the death of her grandmother, Millie (Mary Kay Place),newly sober drug dealer and alcoholic Kazu "Zu" Gamble (Razzie winning, and Golden Globe nominated Kate Hudson) becomes the sole guardian of her younger, nonverbal autistic half-sister, Music (Razzie winning Maddie Ziegler). On her first morning with Music, Zu is unable to braid her hair and her half-sister has a meltdown. Her neighbour, Ebo (Leslie Odom Jr.),comes to help calm Music down, and Zu and Ebo form a friendship. Zu also receives support from George (Hector Elizondo),the compassionate superintendent. Zu realises that Music's whole life is a schedule, from what she has for breakfast (eggs and ketchup) to when she goes for a walk, and Music's sensitivity to sound means she is always wearing a pair of headphones. Meanwhile, Zu is still dealing drugs with the help of her friend Rudy (Ben Schwartz) but is unable to pay him back as she is unemployed. Zu learns that Ebo is a boxer who teaches children boxing, one of them being Felix (Beto Calvillo),who lives in the apartment building opposite Music and is often seen watching her. Zu learns how to take care of Music with Ebo's help but continues to deal drugs to financially support her dream to move to Costa Rica. Ebo reveals to Zu that his ex-wife left him for his brother, and she promises to accompany him to their wedding. When Zu and Music go for a walk, Zu becomes distracted, and Music is stung by a bee. She suffers an allergic reaction and is taken to hospital. Zu cannot pay for the treatment, and she left a bag full of drugs in the park. Distressed, Zu begins drinking and suffers a relapse. She is involved in a fight with Ebo's neighbour, and the police are called; she reveals that she is on probation. The same night, Felix's parents get into a physical altercation which results in his father (Luoyong Wang) accidentally killing him when he tries to intervene. Sometime later, Ebo attends his brother's wedding, without Zu. Meanwhile, Zu brings Music to a centre for disabled adults, but is unable to bring herself to leave her there. They decide to join Ebo at the wedding, where Zu and Ebo share a kiss on stage, and prepare to sing. Music interrupts and begins to sing herself. Later, Music is given a new support dog, that Felix had applied her for before his death. Throughout the film, musical dance sequences take place inside Music's mind, showing how she views the world. Songs and dance sequences: "Oh Body", "Best Friend", "1+1","Insecure", "Music", "Beautiful Things Can Happen", "Could I Love with No Fear", "Easy", "Mountains", "Together", and "Courage to Change". Also starring Juliette Lewis as Evelyn, Kathy Najimy as Evelyn's Mom, Celeste Den as Felix's Mom, and Sia as Popstar Without Borders. Hudson with a shaved head is unconvincing as the substance dependent young woman trying to care for her autistic half-sister, the casting of neurotypical actor Ziegler is deeply problematic, and Odom Jr. Is okay as the friend next door. This film received negative reviews almost immediately, and there was controversy mainly that they did not cast a neuro-diverse actor, and the depiction of restraint (pinning Music down to the ground to calm her down). Sia was initially defensive of the film, but has since agreed with criticisms, admitting to making mistakes, and apparently there was recutting, but it hasn't really made a difference. The music video sequences, representing how Music sees the world, may be colourful and perhaps catchy, but they are misplaced in what is supposed to be a serious insight into the hardships of caring for a disabled person. It is just an unconvincing, messy, misguided, and at times almost uncomfortable to watch, a terrible musical drama. It was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (why?!),and it was nominated the Razzie for Worst Picture. Adequate!

Music (Maddie Ziegler) is a teen girl with autism. Her mother Zu (Kate Hudson) is struggling with new sobriety, probation, and caring for Music. In between the story, the characters dance in surreal music video interludes.

It's 20 years since I am Sam. Times have changed. The controversy is both good and bad. It's good that the world has advanced. Progress is a good thing. The bad is that most hot takes come from people who have never seen one second of this movie. So I figured I check this out before forming an opinion. The most obvious observation is that Ziegler has to do a lot of dancing in those short music video scenes. If they actually use an autistic actress, she would need a lot of modern dance physicality. I don't know how many actresses would fit that profile. All in all, I'm more annoyed with her facial work which mostly involve Ziegler keeping her mouth open wide. Instead of that, she should be given more dialogue to make the character wider with more room to maneuver.

I had assumed with Sia's involvement and Music's name that music would be a big part of her character. There must be a better way to incorporate those music videos into her story. Music could be the way for her to find peace or a way for Zu to find meaningful work. The problem is a lack of imagination in the script. The story meanders. Zu's recovery story is pretty standard although Kate Hudson's performance is able to give it some depth. On the other hand, Music's character is more an object than a subject. She isn't given much of a journey and that's disappointing. I thought that she would connect with Felix but the movie keeps them somewhat separate. This movie is basically an experiment by Sia who is over her head. While I encourage her ambition, she is better off getting some help from a more experienced filmmaker.