The High Note

The High Note

Company type	Film
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2020
Founder	Nisha Ganatra (director), Flora Greeson (writer)
Products	Comedy-drama film
Parent	Focus Features, Working Title Films

The High Note is a 2020 American comedy-drama film directed by Nisha Ganatra and penned by Flora Greeson. Featuring performances by Dakota Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross, among others, the narrative centers on a renowned singer’s personal assistant who dreams of becoming a music producer.

Distributed in select U.S. theaters and through premium video on demand (PVOD) on May 29, 2020, by Focus Features, the movie received a range of critical responses but was particularly commended for its ensemble cast.

Plot

Maggie Sherwoode has served as the dedicated assistant to R&B icon Grace Davis for many years. Despite not releasing new music in ten years, Grace continues to enjoy successful tours. Maggie aspires to break into music production and secretly creates remixes of Grace’s songs. Grace’s manager, Jack Robertson, encourages her to pursue a Las Vegas residency and live album projects rather than recording fresh tracks.

Upon encountering musician David Cliff, Maggie is impressed by his vocal talent and offers to produce his album. As they collaborate, she helps him overcome his stage fright.

Grace disapproves when a prominent producer updates one of her songs with heavy synthesizers; meanwhile, Maggie’s remix is published without acknowledgment or compensation. Jack cautions Maggie that her outspoken nature could jeopardize future professional opportunities.

When Grace shows interest in creating new music, her record label discourages this direction, favoring the Vegas residency plan. Maggie motivates Grace to challenge industry norms imposed on women over 40 and artists of color.

As Maggie and David grow closer romantically during the completion of his demo, Ariana Grande cancels her opening act for Grace’s album launch event. Initially, Maggie arranges for Dan Deakins to fill the spot but ultimately invites David instead; Dan graciously steps aside after hearing David’s work.

At the launch party, David refuses to perform upon discovering it is an event celebrating Grace. Grace then terminates Maggie’s employment after ridiculing her production ambitions.

Returning home to her father Max, a radio DJ, Maggie contemplates her next steps. With his encouragement, she reconnects with David and expresses gratitude to Grace for the chance she was given. Grace comes to realize how much she values Maggie and invites her to produce her first new album—a milestone as it will be her debut collaboration with a female producer.

David reveals he is Grace’s long-lost son and shares that Dan Deakins has assisted him in securing studio representation.

David performs at a festival where Grace joins him onstage for a duet as Maggie watches. Subsequently, Maggie takes on production duties for Grace’s new album in the studio.

Production

Flora Greeson’s script, originally titled Covers, was featured on the 2018 Black List highlighting top unproduced screenplays. In February 2019, Nisha Ganatra was confirmed as director with producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner working through their Working Title Films company. By May 2019, Dakota Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Zoë Chao were cast in leading roles; later additions included Ice Cube, June Diane Raphael, Bill Pullman, Eddie Izzard, and Diplo. Principal photography began in Los Angeles during May 2019. The project was renamed The High Note in February 2020.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for The High Note was released on May 29, 2020, via Republic under Universal. The lead single, "Love Myself," performed by Ross, premiered on May 15.

Release

The High Note was originally planned for a broad theatrical debut on May 8, 2020, but this was postponed due to cinema closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During its opening weekend, the film generated $87,800 from 50 venues, mostly drive-in theaters. By the third weekend, it had earned $59,000 across 64 locations, bringing its domestic total to $293,000. As of June 28, the film's U.S. revenue had climbed to $420,000. Additionally, it premiered in countries where restrictions had been relaxed—such as South Korea, the Netherlands, and France—resulting in a global box office total of $1.7 million by late August.

VOD sales

In its debut weekend on video-on-demand platforms, The High Note achieved second place on FandangoNow, third on the iTunes Store, and ranked eleventh on Amazon Prime Video. During its second weekend, it fell to fourth position on FandangoNow and tenth on iTunes but improved to second on Spectrum. The movie maintained a top-10 presence across all services into its third weekend. After reducing rental fees, it re-entered the top 10 rankings on both FandangoNow and Apple TV by mid-July.

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating based on numerous critiques, with an average score reflecting moderate favorability. The critical consensus reads: "While The High Note may not transcend typical romantic comedy tropes, viewers seeking a comforting experience will appreciate this well-acted addition to the genre." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100 from 34 reviewers, signifying "mixed or average" evaluations.

Scott Mendelson of Forbes offered a favorable assessment, characterizing the film as "unhurried and relatively grounded," appreciating its depiction of talented actors portraying kind-hearted individuals navigating conflicts with grace.

In contrast, Owen Gleiberman from Variety observed that the movie "struggles to settle between a behind-the-scenes music industry drama and an inspirational fairy tale," with a feel-good tone that "lingers like a soft but uninspiring haze."

The Guardian placed The High Note at number 47 in its compilation of the "50 best films of 2020 in the US."

Accolades

• Nominated for Drama Movie at the People's Choice Awards
• Tracee Ellis Ross nominated for Drama Movie Star at the People's Choice Awards