Song One

I will keep this short and sweet, like the film. Im sad this movie has such low review, this movie wasn't exactly as I expected it to be but after watching it I realized it was exactly what it should be and that's what makes this movie special. This is a movie I will remember and gladly watch a second time. If you aren't sure about this film, I think it is worth a watch if not for any other reason than to kill time. It just might surprise you and leave you with the warm feeling it left with me. Although the reason why I gave it only nine stars is because the movie ended with a little more mystery than i would have liked, I like a film to ease me into the fact that such a beautiful story is ending. At the same time I'm torn, I like an ending that makes me wonder and keeps me on my toes as well.

Greetings again from the darkness. Fresh off her Oscar winning performance and infamous on screen haircut in Les Miserables, Anne Hathaway stars in this infinitely smaller film from writer/director Kate Barker-Froyland. A Sundance Film Festival entry, the movie winds through the clubs, coffee shops and second hand stores that make up the indie music scene in northern Brooklyn.

Ben Rosenfield ("Boardwalk Empire") plays Henry, the kind of musician so enamored with his own folk sound that he is willing to play for pocket change in the subway tunnels. Failing to adhere to mother rule #1, Henry pays the price for not looking both ways prior to crossing a street in front of a New York cabbie. Next thing we know, he is comatose in a hospital bed. Henry's mom (Mary Steenburgen) beckons wayward daughter Franny (Anne Hathaway) home from her worldly pursuit of a Ph.d in Anthropology.

When last they spoke Franny and brother Henry had one of those nasty sibling fights where angry words were spoken and no apology followed. It's been six months and now a guilt-ridden Franny sits by his hospital bed hoping for a shot at redemption. She soon discovers Henry's journal and begins re-tracing his favorite hang-outs and bands. This journey leads her to a meeting with Henry's musical idol James Forester (played by Johnny Flynn). Lacking suspense, the story leads right where one would expect – James and Franny taking a liking to each other, Franny discovers her own love for music, and the songwriting block that has burdened James slowly breaks down.

The film is at its best in the musical moments. Flynn is a very talented guy as a musician (not so much as an actor), and 5 or 6 live musical acts make appearances as the story unfolds. Most of the quiet scenes between Hathaway and Flynn seem a bit awkward, but not awkward in the good way that leads to real romance. Connection and re-connection are quite common in times of tragedy, as we are at our most emotionally vulnerable state. The biggest issue here is that everything develops just as we would expect … no surprises, no twists. Even the re-connection of Franny and her mother is a sweet scene where Franny sings along to America's "I Need You".

Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley fame) and Jonathan Rice co-wrote the original songs used in the film, and as stated, a hand full of other bands perform their own material. For a musically based romantic drama, it does have a couple of really nice scenes, but for the most part, the drama and romance lag the music.

Director/writer Kate Barker-Froyland has offered up a deliciously simple yet emotionally complex story of a family drawn together by an unfortunate accident. Karen (mother), Franny (daughter), are forced to reexamine their family status due to Henry's (son/brother) near death accident.

Most of the movie/story is Franny learning about her brother through his notes and songs and interest in other singers and places he visits in NYC. Along the way through this path of discovery Franny meets and falls in love with a folk singer her brother admired.

There are lots & lots of Anne Hathaway face closeups and lots & lots of folk songs. I like Hathaway but the many closeups and folk songs wore a bit thin. That's the reason for the 7 in stars.

Otherwise this is a fine and thoughtful movie with excellent photography and production values. Please be aware of the lighting throughout as I do believe this is integral to setting the mood of many scenes.

Looking through the reviews, I was initially hesitant thinking that I would not like this movie. However, I always enjoyed Anna Hathaway's acting and decided to give it a gamble. I was not disappointed.

The music in this movie was just amazing. The romance between the main characters just gives that subtle warm feeling in your heart. Though the ending was a little abrupt, I have already realised that it seems to be a common recurring theme amongst highly rated films so I'm not too picky about that.

Overall, if you just want a movie to watch, not overly emotional but gives that subtle warm feeling when the credits roll, perhaps you might want to give this movie a try.

"Logically, when you talking' about folk music and blues, you find out it's music of just plain people." Brownie McGhee

Hardly-plain Anne Hathaway has a camera -ready head with a perfectly coiffed pixie and larger-than life lips. Good thing because Song One spends most of its 96 minutes caressing it while she moons over a folk singer. Yep, it's a romance but still not a bad one. Compared to John Carney's Once, however, it's a one note song. Considering it's writer-director Kate Barker-Froyland's debut film, it's a winner for her because of the promise it shows.

The Nicholas Sparks-like teary tropes are there: For instance, her folk singing brother, Henry (Ben Rosenfield), is in a coma while her mother (Mary Steenburgen) is eccentric and Franny (Hathaway) has been estranged from her and her brother . Enter heartthrob folksinger James Forester (Johnny Flynn), who sings sexy naturalistic songs and wins doctoral candidate Franny's heart.

The good part of this cliché is that the love grows organically, not swiftly or too cutely. Although his singing is seductive and his look shaggy handsome, he's playing down his charisma, and that angle makes Franny too low-key and mom almost hyper when she's not quite that.

Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice's music is sweet and longing, accessible for those not enamored of the folk genre. Unfortunately, the music is frequently melancholic to the extreme.

The film's strength is the organic growth of the romance and the organic neo-folk musical style that moves from street singing to full house concerts with equal grace. The weakness, however, is that nothing much else happens. For those who like authentic love stories, Song One can be first in their hearts while the rest of the audience can watch Walk the Line for some real musical drama.

"All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song." Louis Armstrong