Mighty Oak (2020)

Ten-year-old Oak - a music/guitar prodigy - and his mother move into an apartment above a restaurant and is lent a $3,000 guitar by the restaurant's owner. Gina sees Oak singing and playing the guitar, which belonged to her brother Vaughn, and starts believing that Oak is the reincarnated Vaughn. Vaughn was the lead singer for "Army of Love", an up and coming band, but was killed in an automobile accident ten years prior on their way to a gig. Gina reorganizes the band with Oak taking Vaughn's place and the new "Army of Love" once again becomes popular.
Although Oak does well in the band, his home life is lacking. His mother loses her job, is sickly, apparently has a drug problem, and Oak takes care of his mother more so than his mother takes care of him.
The night Oak's mother is supposed to watch Oak play with "Army of Love" to a live audience, Oak can't find the $3,000 guitar (but Gina finds him a guitar to play) and, much to his disappointment, his mother never shows up. (She was arrested in Mexico for possession of drugs on her way home.) Oak is a forgiving kid who loves his mother, but knows that something is wrong with her. Oak frequently has to put his fingers in front of his mother's nose while she is sleeping to determine if she is still breathing. She is, that is, until the day she is not... and ten-year-old Oak is an orphan.
Oak's Grandparents from Minnesota come to his mother's funeral and believe he should leave with them. Gina offers to become Oak's guardian so that he can stay with the band where he has friends and likes living. However, Oak's Grandparents believe he belongs with his "real family." Oak does not want to leave and says he doesn't even know his Grandparents, but isn't really given a choice and moves to Minnesota.
Unhappy in Minnesota, Oak and his friend Emma (the restaurant owner's daughter) scheme to get his Grandparents to believe his mother wanted Oak to live with Gina. Their plan works, and the Grandparents bring Oak back to California - to live with Gina and the "army" of friends Oak has who are not blood relatives but, nonetheless, "family" to Oak.
A year passes and Gina is now married to Pedro (band member) and pregnant. Oak is outside playing by the garage with his new band comprised of kids his own age, exactly what he wanted.
It is up to the viewer to decide if Oak is the reincarnated Vaughn. Several similarities (too much of a coincidence?) are pointed out by Gina, but the other band members are not believers. Oak just wanted to know if it turns out that he isn't Vaughn, could he still play with "Army of Love" and have the clothes Gina was buying him.
I think the movie would appeal most to pre-adolescents who might enjoy a ten-year-old's music and talent, but the movie is rated PG-13. Perhaps the movie is best viewed as the debut of Tommy Ragen - the twelve-year-old music/guitar prodigy who plays Oak. Tommy has already released three albums in as many years and is sure to become a superstar.

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