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Reviews Counted:148
Fresh:143
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.
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,... [More]
Starring: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Bill Hodnett, Danuse Ktrestova
Director: John Carney
Like all great pop songs, you can't wait to hear how it ends, and few conclusions feel as complete as that in "Once." For a film so joyfully attuned to the tumultuous nature of composition, it's no surprise that this is one of 2007's best.
We do not fall in love nearly enough at the movies, but this is one to adore.
Once is a simple yet not simplistic love story which doesn't end as you might expect.
By the end of the year, Once will be the movie doomed to lose at the Oscars but live on in everyone's hearts.
Gives off good vibes.
Forget everything you think you know about the movie musical, one of the more predictable genres. With Once, writer-director John Carney deconstructs it and reinvents it as something wholly new, inspired and alive.
Casting musicians rather than actors proves to be a wise choice because their interplay is completely naturalistic. All of the musical interaction is authentic and, by extention, so is their entire relationship.
Even when Carney lays on the indie film visual aesthetics a little too thick, the movie never feels anything less than heart-wrenchingly authentic.
A touching, tender and smart film that effectively blends elements of musical and romance, while maintaining an air of realism and honesty one rarely finds in either genre.
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A wonderfully touching but thoroughly offbeat romance, interlaced with songs.
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While Once doesn't really reinvent anything, it is a marvelous addition to the short list of genuinely good rock musicals.
It's a different kind of movie than your typical summer fare, but it never hits a wrong note and art-house lovers should see it... at least once.
Quietly and modestly inches its way into your heart, and by the time it reaches its wrenching and beautiful closing scene, you know you've experienced something special.
Carney becomes a little too enamored of the cinematographic limitations, and loses some important scenes to darkness and lousy focus. Call me crazy, but I like to actually see cinematic moments of emotional longing and heartache, not try to squint them in
Once captures the intoxicating one-two punch of loving music and falling in love better than any movie since Tender Mercies and The Buddy Holly Story (1978).
It has a Before Sunrise vibe, but the aphrodisiac is music rather than pseudo-philosophical Gen-X ramblings.
This lovely tale of a love affair between a Dublin street musician and a flower girl will leave you wistful for more. It's a movie to fall in love with and a movie to fall in love during. It is the most naturalistic musical ever.
The chemistry between Hansard and Irglová flows from the screen, easily creating one of the most romantic films of our generation. Independently redefining this classic genre, Once is a musical that movingly tells a realistic love story.
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