Once (2007)

once poster 2007 movie
9.5 Overall Score
Story: 9/10
Acting: 9/10
Visuals: 9/10

A great way to do musicals

Nothing

Movie Info

Movie Name:  Once

Studio:  Samson Films

Genre(s):  Musical/Romance/Drama

Release Date(s):  January 20, 2007 (Sundance Film Festival)

MPAA Rating:  R

once motorcycle trip marketa irglova glen hansard 2007

Love comes in different forms

A busker (Glen Hansard) in Dublin finds his musical muse when he meets a Czech piano player (Markéta Irglová) selling roses.  The two performers find that they can inspire each other, but they also find a deeper feeling toward each other.  Deciding to put out a record, the busker could find the success he has always sought but being together might not be in the cards.

Written and directed by John Carney, Once is a musical romance.  The extremely low-budget film was a critical and financial success.  The movie won an Academy Award for Best Original Song (“Falling Slowly”).

Once is a truly modern musical and what can be used to be shown to people who don’t like musicals.  The movie is deftly shot, tells a complex love story, and wraps it in a great soundtrack.  Once is a great experience.

once falling slowly glen hansard marketa irglova 2007

Hey, let’s sing this “Falling Slowly” ditty I worked up!

Despite being a love story, the movie isn’t a conventional love story.  The characters are obviously in love, but they don’t end up together despite their compatibility.  It starts out awkward with an unwanted sexual suggestion by the busker, but it ends in true love that not only inspires both of them but helps them find love elsewhere and be happy…and it actually feels really natural.

The reason it feels so natural is that Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová both perform well together and have a strange attraction.  In real life, the two actors ended up together after the filming of once and dated for a few years…the coming together on screen mimics their real live romance and adds to the natural acting.

What if they got in to record and just sucked…

Once was a cheap film, but it also managed to look fantastic.  Much like a music video, the songs overlapped the imagery and the whole film takes on a nice magical nature.  It was benefited by a script that had limited locations…it didn’t need to be expensive and the it works.

Once is as the title implies a “once” in a lifetime type of musical.  It could be easy to emulate a movie like Once…I could even see a sequel down the line to find out where the characters ended up, but Once nails it this time and would probably only disappoint if revisited in a sequel.  Once is a movie that you find seeing once just isn’t enough.

Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.

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