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Movies / On DVD / Once
Once

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Once (2007)

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Reviews Counted: 146

Fresh: 141

Rotten:5

Average Rating: 8.3/10

Consensus: A charming, captivating tale of love and music, Once sets the standard for the modern musical. And with Dublin as its backdrop, Once is fun and fresh.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for language

Runtime: 86 mins

Genre: Musical & Performing Arts

Theatrical Release:19-10-2007

Synopsis: The Irish romance ONCE may be a musical, but it is miles away from the traditional Hollywood idea of people bursting into song. Glen Hansard (frontman for indie rock band The Frames) plays the guy,... The Irish romance ONCE may be a musical, but it is miles away from the traditional Hollywood idea of people bursting into song. Glen Hansard (frontman for indie rock band The Frames) plays the guy, a street musician who is playing for change when he meets the girl (Marketa Irglova), an immigrant from the Czech Republic. The pair immediately bond over their shared love of music (he is a guitarist, and she plays the piano), and the film chronicles their tentative relationship. Both are weighed down by plenty of baggage: his songs are fueled by a painful breakup, and she is a young mother who left her husband behind in her native country. Like the independent favorite BEFORE SUNRISE, ONCE is a simple, sweet drama that doesn't rely on an elaborate plot. With its use of digital video and handheld cameras, ONCE matches its spare visual style to its intimate mood. Each moment feels stolen from real life, and the story is at once familiar and fresh. Driven more by music than by dialogue, ONCE features a stirring soundtrack of heartfelt indie rock sung by Hansard and Irglova. Before his foray into film, director John Carney (ON THE EDGE) played bass in The Frames, and his passion for music is clear in this modern musical that hits every note perfectly. [More]

Starring: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Bill Hodnett, Danuse Ktrestova

Starring: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Bill Hodnett, Danuse Ktrestova

Director: John Carney

Director: John Carney
Screenwriter: John Carney
Producer: Martina Niland
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

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Reviews for Once

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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A simply sung tale that deserves attention.

Full Review Source: Little White Lies | comment Comment
10/19/07
Little White Lies

Not since Before Sunset has a romantic film managed to be as touching, funny or as hard to forget as Once.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
10/19/07
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A soulful valentine to music, friendship and the joys of honest hard graft, played out in the bedsits and recording studios of a deglamourised Dublin.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/19/07
Xan Brooks
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Once is a largely successful attempt to present something old-fashioned – a romantic musical – in a modern way and on a budget that stops some distance short of six figures.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
10/19/07
Karl French
Financial Times

A rare innocence and a fresh approach to filmmaking make this a thoroughly charming and unconventional love story.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
10/19/07
Steve Watson
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Steering well clear of schmaltz, the movie is carried by Hansard’s stirring soundtrack, wonderfully naturalistic performances and a storyline that never veers into whimsy.

comment Comment
10/19/07
Daily Mirror [UK]

In some places the camerawork feels a little underwhelming, and at times the leads' inexperience in acting shows up in comparison to their musical performances, but overall it works as a quiet, wistful modern romance.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
10/19/07
Laura Bushell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A film to fall in love with and take a date to, Once’s heart leaps from its sleeve. Pure and simple yet multiplex-unfriendly, this fantastic musical may take some seeking out, but once found it’s hard to forget.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
10/19/07
Jonathon Dean
Total Film

Note to metalheads: if Damien Rice-style singer-songwriters have you reaching for the sick bucket, you might want to give it a miss.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
10/19/07
Ruth Ford
Sky Movies

The year’s most pleasant cinematic surprise. Once has enough heart, wit, verve and sheer songwriting genius to ensure you’ll see it far more times than its title suggests.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
10/19/07
Dan Jolin
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Easily one of the best films of the year.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/18/07
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

The real dialogue is the music, as the lovers communicate through lyrics. The filmmaking is unadorned, but the emotional virtuosity is rhapsodic.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/23/07
Stephen Garrett
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
10/29/08
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

In an era when Hollywood has largely lost the ability to distinguish between romance and sex, Once is the rare film that recognizes that love is no less love for being held in check, it is merely a different kind of love.

Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
09/18/08
Christopher Orr
New Republic

my biggest road block was the fact that I didn't like the music

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment 4 Comments
08/17/08
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jonathan Kiefer
Sacramento News & Review

Um filme mágico que, através de sua narrativa enganosamente simples, alcança uma vitória que escapa à maioria das obras do gênero, retratando com sentimento o instante preciso no qual dois seres humanos se descobrem apaixonados um pelo outro.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
04/19/08
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

Once is the anti-blockbuster that couldn't have come at a better time.

Full Review Source: Colorado Springs Gazette | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
Colorado Springs Gazette
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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