Movie critics and writers often try to sound eloquent and high-brow when reviewing movies.  They use metaphors.  They compare movie characters to great characters in literature or find correlations between the movie they review and some piece of classic cinema.  

But, shoot. All I could come up with was “charming”.  

“Flora and Son” from writer-director John Carney (“Once” and “Sing Street”) is very charming.  Since watching it, I’ve told people how charming it is.  

I’ve said the word “charming” so much that I’m even getting tired of it coming out of my mouth.

The main character, Flora (Eve Hewson) isn’t charming.  When we first see her, she is boozy and irresponsible, carousing the Dublin nightlife.  She winds up with a one-night stand who has no idea that the apartment he has spent the night in also houses Flora’s teenage son Max (Oren Kinlan).  Max is as invidious as his young mother most of the time, and the two of them co-exist in their tiny apartment, lobbing profanity and disdain at one another as if they are irritable siblings instead of parent and child.

But because they have those lovely Irish accents, their banter is, well, charming.  Their cuss words, equally heartwarming.

In an attempt to consider herself a decent mother, Flora salvages a guitar from a dumpster, has it refurbished, and presents it to Max a few days after his birthday. As you may guess, he is unimpressed.   Flora then decides to take online guitar lessons with a has-been musician named Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and ends up finding purpose, as well as an avenue to much needed changes in her life.  

Hewson has an amazing amount of magnetism and is mesmerizing as Flora, simply because she is able to capture our hearts while also being hardened, angry, and painfully honest.  When she admits to a friend that she sometimes thinks her son would be better off if he were abducted, we aren’t horrified that she would say that, nor are we unsympathetic.

Kinlan’s Max is endearing and appealing, and even when his teenage repulsiveness is at its peak, we still get him and we still root for him.  

We see his potential.    

Jack Reynor’s (“Transformers,” “What Richard Did”) turn as Flora’s ex and Max’s dad Ian is idle, bumbling, and hysterical. In contrast, Gordon-Levitt’s  Jeff is even-keel, spiritual, and inspiring.  

This movie is feel-good without insulting our intelligence, and even though it is a relatively short story (a little over 90 minutes), unfolds slowly enough to make sense. The elements that are usually present in a sentimentality-musically-fueled script of this nature are laid out well and effective.

“Flora and Son” will receive some love come Oscar nominations time, and deservedly so.

My grade: A. See it in the theater if you can, but whatever you do, don’t miss it.  

Flora and Son is now playing in select theaters and streams on Apple TV Plus starting Friday, Sept. 29.  The movie is rated R for the charming profanity and colorful banter.  Running time is 1 hour, 37 minutes.