UPDATE: [Trailer #2] Tracee Ellis Ross In “The High Note” On-Demand Release Date
UPDATE (May 27, 2020):
“The High Note” is a story about following your dream and taking risks. From acclaimed director Nisha Ganatra (Late Night) comes a hilarious and moving story set inside the dynamic world of L.A.’s glamorous music scene.
Superstars don’t come much bigger than Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross), the celebrated diva whose unbelievable talent has won her countless accolades and the adoration of generations of fans. Keeping pace with Grace’s every demand is her devoted if overworked personal assistant Maggie (Dakota Johnson). Maggie spends her days traversing Los Angeles running errands, yet she still aspires to make it in the cutthroat, male-dominated music business as a producer.
From the confines of the apartment she shares with her spunky roommate Katie (Zoe Chao), Maggie is secretly perfecting her own mix of Grace’s upcoming live greatest hits album. She’s convinced that her dogged work ethic and her devotion to preserving the classic elements of Grace’s sound will pay dividends. Her skills are put to the test when Maggie meets gifted musician David Cliff (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.). As they write and record new material together, Maggie finds herself pulled between pursuing her passion and her commitment to Grace.
Things come to a head when Grace’s long-time manager (Ice Cube) presents the singer with a choice that could alter the course of her career, and Grace must wrestle with a decision that could have life-altering consequences. What follows is a series of surprises that not even the ultra-prepared assistant could have predicted-events poised to change both Maggie and Grace’s lives forever.
Funny, fresh, and romantic, “The High Note” is a delightful, female-driven modern comedy about talent, persistence and the power of music to bring people together.
There’s no question: Without amazing music, “The High Note” would fall flat. It was something the filmmakers all realized from the outset of the project, so they recruited amazingly talented people to write and produce songs for the film.
With guidance from the executive team at Universal Music, the filmmakers hired respected music producer Rodney Jerkins, also known as Darkchild, to oversee the entire soundtrack-he’s previously collaborated with such artists as Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson and many, many more. Grammy winner Corinne Bailey Rae wrote original songs for the film, as did 25-year-old phenom Sarah Aarons, who contributed three original tracks. Linda Cohen, who had worked with Ganatra on “Late Night”, served as music supervisor.
Tracee Ellis Ross was thrilled to get into the studio and record for the first time in her life. “The High Note” marks the first time she has sung and performed, sharing her impressive vocal talents with the world.
“This movie’s going to live or die based on how good the music is,” Loewy says. “We knew we needed absolute superstars to join the team from the beginning and help create this unique musical world, not just for Grace but also for David.”
Focus Features and Working Title present “The High Note” available on streaming platforms Friday, May 29.
For more details on where and how to watch, visit WatchtheHighNote.com
Here’s the final Official Trailer for “The High Note”:
March 13, 2020: [Trailer] Tracee Ellis Ross & Dakota Johnson Hit ‘The High Note’
If there’s someone who knows a thing or two about the high-glamour life of music superstars, it’s Tracee Ellis Ross. The Golden Globe-winning, three-time Emmy-nominated actress is best known for her roles in comedy shows like Black-ish, Mixed-ish, and Girlfriends (and her consistently exceptional red carpet style), but she also happens to be the daughter of the iconic songstress Diana Ross. But in the trailer for the new comedy The High Note, it’s Tracee herself who’s taking center stage and showing off her dulcet musical stylings as Grace Davis, a legendary singer stuck in a career rut until an ambitious aspiring producer inspires her to take her career to the next level.
Dakota Johnson stars as Maggie, Grace’s overworked personal assistant with aspirations of producing music, and when Grace grows tired of singing her old hits, the two embark on a mission to help her release her first new album as decades. The film comes from director Nisha Ganatra, who directed last year’s delightful comedy Late Night. If she can recapture the charm of that film, she’s headed for another win with The High Note.
However, even if you might see some surface similarities between Tracee Ellis Ross’ character and her mother’s legendary career, she didn’t take a lot of inspiration from her real life. “In all honesty, none of this is taken from the world I know of being my mom’s child,” she told EW. “The only thing is that I always had the dream of being able to sing. But this character was so beautifully and wonderfully written, and the story really has nothing to do with any of the things that I know from my mom’s experience. Except for the fact that there’s a real humanity to this woman and she’s not a paper-thin quote-unquote diva that the world usually paints larger-than-life women as. She’s a real person.”
She continued, “That’s the only connection that I can draw. That a woman who holds a great space in the world is actually a human with a heart, who has fears and disappointments and struggles all on her own.”
The High Note also stars Ice Cube, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Zoe Chao, Eddie Izzard, Bill Pullman, and Diplo and arrives in theaters on Friday, May 8. Check out the trailer below.
Here’s the official synopsis for The High Note:
Set in the dazzling world of the LA music scene comes the story of Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross), a superstar whose talent, and ego, have reached unbelievable heights. Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is Grace’s overworked personal assistant who’s stuck running errands but still aspires to her childhood dream of becoming a music producer. When Grace’s manager (Ice Cube) presents her with a choice that could alter the course of her career, Maggie and Grace come up with a plan that could change their lives forever.