Rudy Mancuso and Camila Mendes in Música (Amazon Content Services)

It might surprise non–New Jersey residents to learn that the Garden State is more than the stereotypes of Jersey Shore and The Sopranos. New Jersey is a melting pot of diverse cultures, geographic regions, and food terminology wars (the Taylor ham vs. pork roll debate still rages on), so it’s always refreshing to see a movie portray hidden corners of everyday Jersey life. Música, the directorial debut of comedian Rudy Mancuso, certainly embraces its state roots with a coming-of-age tale set in Newark’s Ironbound community. But it could also make a case for one of the year’s most visually distinct films via its unorthodox approach to musical storytelling, provided you look past the big cliché at the heart of its story.

Those familiar with Mancuso have probably watched his comedy videos on Awkward Puppets, or even caught his brief cameo in The Flash movie. But Mancuso also grew up in Glenn Ridge, near Newark, so his understanding of Essex County culture is welcome, as well as the way Mancuso replicates the feeling of having synesthesia, using the beats of everyday life to make viewers understand the world as his character—aptly named Rudy—does.

Synesthesia, a neurological condition that causes a person to interpret one sense as another sense, is both a source of inspiration and frustration for Rudy, an aspiring musician making the occasional pocket change doing subway puppet shows. In his case, sound is routinely perceived as music, though neither music nor puppetry is financially sustainable just yet. So, Rudy’s takes marketing courses to keep his Brazilian mom Maria (played by Mancuso’s own mother) happy, but it’s a career path his White girlfriend Haley (Francesca Reale) seems more interested in pursuing.

It’s clear, however, that Rudy and Haley are at a breaking point in their relationship, and he isn’t quite sure what to do next. Nor do his chats with local food truck vender Anwar (J.B. Smooth) help matters, given Anwar’s tendency to contradict himself by the end of a conversation. It takes a seafood shopping trip (and a collision with one unlucky fish) for Rudy to discover the missing piece in his life. Not the fish, but store employee Isabella, played by Riverdale’s Camila Mendes, whom he falls head over heels for. The one drawback: Now Rudy finds himself stuck between the relationship he’s used to with Haley and the one that offers new opportunities. So, like most young indecisive rom-com protagonists, he thinks he can have the love triangle without reaching a decision just yet. A problem even his own puppet Diego calls him out on, yet Rudy attempts it all the same.

This is the biggest thing holding Música back. As soon as Rudy begins hiding his relationship status from both women, the viewer might as well be placing bets on the moment the ruse blows up in his face. His choices don’t render the movie unwatchable, but it is a frustrating genre cliché. Because Música is infused with so much clever style and sound design, relying on a tired cliché to drive the plot forward is disappointing.

The visuals, meanwhile, are genuinely impressive. The best way to describe Música is a cerebral street art musical. It’s a musical that eschews actual songs (save for a few brief numbers performed by a subway busker) and generates elaborate beats through extended dance sequences and montages of commonplace noises repurposed as something more harmonized. From the dribbling of basketballs to the preparation of food at a local diner, and even the interior of a salon, the world feels uniquely alive. Lively and energetic, and also extremely disorienting for someone with difficulty focusing on this sensory overload.

If you watch Música as proof of the movies’ untapped potential as a visual medium, you’ll enjoy it. If you view it as a coming-of-age drama, your enjoyment will depend on whether seeing Rudy complicate his shot at romance is humorous or too predictable. Either way, it deserves more attention than what Prime Video’s marketing campaign is offering right now. Movies that take such experimental risks shouldn’t be worried about falling into a streaming library black hole, especially movies about New Jersey life.