Begin Again

This is a feel good movie about musicians making an album. Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley play producer and song writer who team up to make a demo filmed all over the city. The songs are pleasant and the characters are sympathetic and likable even Hailee Steinfeld as Mark's daughter. There is a nice dynamic between the characters which makes the movie enjoyable to watch. There is almost as much music as a musical but it doesn't feel much like a musical.

Who knew Keira could sing so well? She doesn't have the most powerful voice but her singing is musical and right for the type of songs. Mark looks suitably scruffy for the fallen on hard times composer. Nice cameo by Ceelo Green and Adam Levine who sings quite a few songs.

Movies like this are pleasant and uplifting to watch - if you want a break from action or violence of summer blockbusters.

I knew virtually nothing about this film - hadn't even seen the trailer - when I drug my wife to see it last night, and we were both very pleasantly surprised. The characters are drawn in such a way that they are both like-able and relatable. In the end, the film builds emotion with the audience not by means of incredible stretches of the imagination, but through a gradually reinforced empathy. I have seen all the summer blockbusters, and the single largest failure in most of them is that they create shallow characters that the audience does not care about.

The dynamics used in this movie cause an engagement in the audience that is necessary in ANY film for it to be great. This one is not to be missed in the CGI-filled summer.

John Carney is one of the few people working in movies today whose next work I am always eager to see. Along with a few others such as Richard Linklater, he has proved to me that you can take a premise which has been explored many times before and view it from a different perspective to create something that feels original and fresh. His previous work 'Once' did this and is among my favourite films.

Suffice to say, when I saw the trailer for Begin Again it simply did not grab me. My first worry was that it looked 'too Hollywood' (read as 'cliche and predictable movie churned out to make money with little care or thought for the story it is telling'). I felt a little worried going in to see the film that somehow Mr. Carney had fallen foul of the big producers, making sacrifices to the story in order to get some 'names' into it.

However, around 20 minutes in, my hopes returned and I knew it was going to be special... and it just got better from there. the film builds on the story and characters as it goes on, making me care about them, showing me things I had never seen before in similar movies and above all, making me think. As the credits rolled, I was wiping my eyes, partly from the wonderful soundtrack but mostly because Begin Again is a magical film. It still has the 'spark' that I felt in his previous pictures, a huge amount of love, passion and care that has brought it into being - not just a half baked idea thrown out there to pay back impatient investors. The soundtrack, performances and well-crafted script took me on an emotionally rewarding journey, leaving me feeling inspired, uplifted and a little nostalgic for times gone by. yep, I am gushing, but it really is going to be hard to beat for film of the year for me.

Between the scenes, I also loved how it discreetly touched on some important issues with throwaway lines, addressing things which people take for granted these days: 'Music is for the ears, not the eyes.' and 'don't dress like you are easy' being two of them. Image is so ingrained into art these days, the majority of people all seem to judge a book by it's cover without looking inside. And the same could be said for this film too. On the outside it looks like yet another generic, manufactured Pop Idol... but if you sit down and watch it, I think you will be pleasantly surprised that it has something profound to say and says it well.

Thought provoking, life affirming and highly recommended!

This movie helped me get through a phase in a life and definitely helped me .love it yes it has its flows but whatever

A few years ago, Mr Shullivan & I went to New York and booked tickets to see 'Once'. Absolutely loved it - the show and the music! We then watched the movie version directed by John Carney - and it was great as well! When we happened to see a clip for 'Begin Again', with John Carney directing, I asked Mr Shullivan to get us this movie to watch at home - and I have no regrets!

Enjoyed the music during the film (and we even watched the bonus features on the DVD and I asked Mr. Shullivan to get the soundtrack!). And the music stayed with me even after the movie. I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed Kiera Knightley's singing as well as her acting performance. And I thoroughly enjoyed both her version of 'Lost Stars' and Adam Levine's!

Mark Ruffalo's performance as Dan was great - he showed the range of emotion you'd expect in the part he was playing - a jaded, down in the dumps record executive who gets a turnaround through the movie by his chance meeting with Gretta (Keira Knightley's character).

Loved the opening sequences of the movie - showing the same scene from several different character's perspectives - but especially Dan's - when he re-imagines Gretta's song with added instruments and enhanced arrangements. Unique & riveting!

And finally, loved the album and film concept of taking it to the streets of New York - very enjoyable and very real!

I will want to see this movie again! And any other John Carney films!