Review: ‘The Song’ is a well-worn, one-note story

A ceaseless, hurtin’ tune of a music-driven romantic drama, “The Song” plays out its tired refrain with all the subtlety of a Sunday sermon.

Living in the long shadow cast by his famous country-singing dad, Louisville’s Jed King (musician Alan Powell in a solemn, one-note performance) has been struggling to find his own identity, musical or otherwise.

He’s determined not to repeat the mistakes of his late, hard-living pop, so he embraces the Good Book and courts a vineyard owner’s daughter, the sweet Rose (Ali Faulkner), and is prepared to settle into a life of domestic bliss.

But when the song he writes for Rose becomes a hit and fortune and fame beckons, Jed goes on the road and is inevitably led into temptation by his opening act, the brazen, tattooed Shelby (a playful Caitlin Nicol-Thomas).

First-time feature director Richard Ramsey’s screenplay is informed by the Song of Solomon — a reference that is hammered home throughout the overlong film courtesy of scripture-quoting voice-overs. He seems uninterested in doing anything original or unexpected.

Instead he always goes down the path of least resistance, relying on an all-too-familiar template with clichéd characters that are never allowed an unspoken inner thought.

The melody may be as old as the Bible, but “The Song” could have benefited from a fresher voice.

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“The Song.”

MPAA rating: PG-13 for thematic elements including substance abuse, smoking.

Running time: 1 hour, 57 minutes.

Playing: In limited release.