REVIEW: ‘The Greatest Hits’ Connects Music And Memory

Music is an integral component of the human experience. Whether we admit it or not, it flows through our veins. Music connects us to other people, enhances our experiences, or returns us to unpleasant memories. Few films articulate the messy hold music has over living as well as The Greatest Hits does. Written and directed by Ned Benson (The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby), this romantic drama that premiered at SXSW 2024 might feel a bit slight for some audiences. For those who continually ponder their relationship with music and for those who have lost someone dear to them, The Greatest Hits will resonate deeply.

Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody) stars as Harriet, an audiophile still grieving the loss of her boyfriend Max, played by future Superman David Corenswet. Her process of moving on is disrupted by a tiny wrinkle: she can time travel. Specifically, when Harriet hears a song that she and Max made a memory of, she goes back to that moment. Her attempts to change the past always fail. Her friend Morris (Austin Crute) encourages her to enter into a romance with a shopkeeper (Justin H. Min). As their romance blossoms, Harriet cannot move forward, knowing that she could potentially save Max’s life.

The central metaphor at the heart of The Greatest Hits is insightful. Whether intentional or not, listening to certain songs has the power to transport us back to memories, pleasant and unpleasant. The Greatest Hits visualizes this process. Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung (Oldboy) transitions from the muted color palette of the film proper into warmer tones for the memory segments. There’s a strangely emotional feeling seeing the scene of a despondent Harriett sitting alone, morphing into a music festival meet-cute set to Jamie XX’s “Loud Places.” It portrays something I’ve never seen a movie do before. That shows how music can uncomfortably bring up happy memories that make current life feel a thousand miles away from that time.

As a portrayal of PTSD, The Greatest Hits plays things subtly for the better. Lucy Boynton gives a deeply recognizable performance despite an American accent that keeps slipping. Harriet wears her headphones almost as a constant symbol of baggage. She’s avoidant in conversation. The simple note of an “unsafe song” can send her back in time. She’s in an endless loop of reliving her trauma. Yet, she’s trying to get better. That process is often messy and full of stumbling along the way, and Boynton and filmmaker Ned Benson communicate that in an uncompromising, palatable way.

The character played by Justin H. Min is much more than a device for Harriet’s growth. He’s a fully developed character with his issues moving on from a loss in his past. He and Harriet are at different points in their journey, though they are caught at the same standstill. Through each other, they can find rapture, even if it’s just momentary. A moving scene midway through involves them at a silent disco. Harriet listens to the music on her headphones while her love interest is listening to a pre-set silent disco channel. Somehow, though, they connect by simply looking into each other’s eyes and touching each other.

Where The Greatest Hits gets messy is in its science-fiction trappings. The notion of changing the past being a tangible thing that can happen is an intriguing one for a story about grief. However, it doesn’t take much precedence over the plot, and it makes one wonder why they chose to go so literal with the time travel. There’s a version of this movie where Harriet alters the past with reckless abandon. That version could be interesting, as could a version where she’s just a passive observer. As is, it’s an awkward middle ground that doesn’t serve the story entirely well.

Overall, though, The Greatest Hits resonates deeply. A film for music lovers, romantics, and the grief-stricken, Lucy Boynton anchors a story that relays the unique connection between music, memory, and relationships in earnest fashion. Undoubtedly, some will be disappointed by the half-hearted time travel of it all, but that’s hardly the point. The Greatest Hits is there to conjure a feeling. It does that, and it does it well.

The Greatest Hits will have a limited theatrical release on April 5, 2024 before releasing on Hulu on April 12.