Dreaming of something more from life? Thinking about running away from responsibilities to chase a fantasy?

"The High Note" has elements of a feel-good movie that aims to please viewers and present a character they can relate to. A young woman with hopes for more. However the movie is extremely bland and doesn't quite hit any high note at all.

Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross) is a long-time, talented superstar with a huge ego who's reaching a crossroads in her career. Her manager (Ice Cube) suggests she does a residency in Las Vegas, but she has other ideas in mind. Meanwhile, her overworked personal assistant Maggie (Dakota Johnson) dreams of becoming a music producer and decides to help a client named David (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) behind Grace's back.

THE HIGH NOTE - Official Trailer [HD] - At Home On Demand May 29www.youtube.com

Written by newcomer Flora Greeson and directed by Nisha Ganatra (2019's Late NIght), this film brings a mediocre script that quickly loses the interest of the audience with bland and shallow characters.

The film is primarily about Johnson's character Maggie, but little is known about her other than her dream to be a music producer. Her motivations are revealed, but at that point it's too late for the audience to care. The writing needs to hammer home what motivates her to be a music producer or what makes her endure three years of unrecognized service to Grace. Otherwise it is very difficult to rally for Maggie, and the same goes for Ross' Grace.

She's bossed around by a very sharp-tongued manager who is looking out for himself under the guise of looking out for Davis' career. There was one little moment between her and Maggie in a bathroom in which she poured her heart out about the struggles of being a middle-aged black singer. But then she bites back at Maggie with a kind of toxicity that makes it hard to like Grace. That scene could've been a moment to deliver emotion needed in this film, but it flopped.

For two women who spend a lot of time together, it's hard to feel true friendship between them even if Johnson and Ross, singer Diana Ross' daughter, have chemistry.

There is one genuinely surprising plot twist, but it happens so late into the movie that it doesn't really stick a landing. It's better if that plot twist was revealed near the climax instead of the last 10 minutes of the film. And that plot twist is absolutely a missed opportunity to bring more complexities to the story.

Don't get suckered in by the early glitz and glam of the music in "The High Note." It's just an attempt – albeit a good one – to make audiences ignore flaws.

Score: 3/10.

Watch "The High Note" with video on demand starting Friday, May 29. Find the best way to watch it the film at focusfeatures.com/the-high-note.

Follow Samantha on Twitter at @_SamI520.