In recent years, films such as Better Man, Rocketman and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story have shown that more can be done within the biopic subgenre than just a simple retelling of events. Biopics have a lot of potential in terms of who and how they tell their stories, and they can even be used to help unearth talented individuals who may have gone under the radar rather than the household names we're all accustomed to.

Dreamin' Wild tells the true story of brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson, who recorded their debut album in 1978 when they were just teenagers. Thirty years later, the album is rediscovered, and the possibility of their rock n' roll dreams becoming a reality surfaces once again.

This film has a lot going for it and works for what it is, but at the same time, it plays things very safe. Split into two, the first half can feel rather meandering in its approach, whereas the second half attempts to bring together the dramatic threads it has set up. By the time it starts putting the pieces in place, it can feel like it's doing too much, too late.

A lot of the shortcomings of this film mostly come down to the execution of a few key areas. It looks and sounds the part, with Arnaud Potier, in particular, supplying some solid cinematography throughout, but generally, it struggles to justify its emotional weight due to its structure and pacing.

It wastes no time in getting to the main crux of the story, whereby the Emerson brothers' album is rediscovered. This is fine in concept, but all of this happens right away, not allowing the audience enough time to acclimatise to Donnie and Joe's current position in life. This leaves a large section of the film feeling repetitive until old tensions resurface between the two brothers well into the second act of the film. A slower start and a slight rearrangement of events would have helped draw out the film's emotional aspects that come largely at the end.

However, one theme that Dreamin' Wild taps into and does pretty well at visualising is the exploration of the past from the perspective of someone much older, who may have let opportunities pass them by. This is shown through flashbacks of the two younger brothers, played wonderfully by Noah Jupe and Jack Dylan Grazer. These scenes start off as run-of-the-mill flashbacks, but over the course of the film, evolve into something more, interacting with the modern-day story in satisfying ways.

With that being said, the core element that keeps this film afloat is the performances, which are great across the board. Casey Affleck and Walton Goggins, in particular, work wonders on their own and together. Their pairing could have done with a bit more screen time, but during the heavier scenes near the end of the film, they really make the most of what they're working with.

Dreamin' Wild is far from perfect, but its heart is in the right place. It's clear the filmmakers have a lot of respect and admiration for the Emerson brothers' story, which mainly comes to the forefront thanks to the actors involved and not necessarily because of the overall execution. If the film had gone a little deeper in pulling out its dramatic potential through its ideas, then the final product would have been a lot better for it.

Dreamin' Wild is available to watch on UK digital platforms from 14th April.