New York Melody

I was a big fan of ONCE - I did not see BEGIN AGAIN when it first came out and only recently watched it and I loved it. One must be in the right mood for this winning, open hearted film - it can be easily passed over as sappy or sentimental but I thought the story of two damaged people meeting each other at just the right time - to be there to help one another - is very well done and Knightley and Ruffalo are wonderful together. But what really makes the whole package work is the fantastic songs - many people were involved with the writing of the music - including Carney the writer-director but the main person behind the songs is Gregg Alexander - a very underrated, very talented musician who was the band The New Radicals in the 90's. He has a way of writing catchy melodies and Lost Stars is a marvelous song - I think my fav scene though is when they are on the rooftop and crank out that song w/ Ruffalo jamming with his daughter. Brought a smile and a tear. I'm a sucker for Carney's films because I also loved SING STREET!

Can a song save your life? Or a film about it? The former question is what the movies title originally was going to be. But lets get back to Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley, both of whom are exceptional in this. There is also Adam Levine (he plays sort of a version of himself or what the general public thinks of him and he's doing a great job too) and Catherine Keener.

Put this cast together with a really good script, that actually avoids quite a lot of the typical romantic comedy clichés. You genuinely don't know where this is going. It might have to do that this is first a movie about music and then about human love. So it's love for music first and then the rest. It doesn't mean, it doesn't love it's character though. Quite the contrary! They are very nicely drawn, which makes this a very entertaining watch.

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

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!

3 1/2 out of 4 stars.

John Carney is back with a new musical. His 2006 film "Once" is one of my favorite films of all time and I was interested to see where Carney would go next. Watching the trailers for "Begin Again" didn't give me much hope for it, but just enough for me to go out and see it. I enjoyed it much more than I expected though.

"Begin Again" is very similar to "Once," except Carney has a bigger budget and famous movie stars. It deals with Dan and Greta (Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley, respectively) who after being cheated on by their former boyfriend/girlfriend meet up and record some songs together. Ruffalo is great as the down on his luck, charming, but often drunk, music producer Dan. Knightley also has a solid performance. Adam Levine does a good job of being a jerk and James Corden is hilarious as Greta's busking friend Steve. The films has themes of love, fatherhood, and the way we use music in our lives.

"Begin Again" is for all the music lovers out there who enjoy creating music. The movie is filled with characters whose religion is music. Look at Dan's car and how he has a music cable hung up on the mirror next to a cross. There's a great moment when Dan listens to Greta perform for the first time. What is just a voice and guitar slowly grows into something much bigger and beautiful. The soundtrack is more poppy compared to the folk songs in "Once," but they are nice to listen to.

This film is the movie you kind of have to be in the mood for to really enjoy. It can be predictable and sappy at times, but it does it well. If you accept it for what it is, you'll enjoy it. "Begin Again" is a musical treat this summer that will leave you wanting to listen to more music and maybe even creating some of your own.