Review: Once

February 15, 2008 · Print This Article

movie review of Once

Los Angeles (CMR) - When you watch Once, it is easy to see why this film was so popular at the most recent Sundance film festival and more recently, the Oscars where it won for best original song.

Directed by John Carney, this is an Irish musical that to many people is the stroke of genius. However, other critics have been quick to point out a number of flaws in this film.

Some of these flaws include a finale which many see as being too tidy and specific second act.

Despite this, Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard, the two stars of the film, are very impressive during the musical aspects of the film.

Once has a great deal of charm, and this charm is especially evident in the scene where Irglova plays the piano with Hansard while he does one of his own numbers with his guitar. The name of this particular tune is “Falling Slowly.”

The song is very impressive, and yes, I’ve added it to my iPod. The song is very impressive, as they gradually merge together near the end of the song to achieve the perfect duo. Not only is this a great moment in the film, but it brings a grin to your face.

Once was shot in the streets of Dublin, Ireland, and it was done so on a very short schedule. This movie is the story of Irglova and Hansard, two individuals who encounter each other one evening. Irglova is a street musician, and after they meet, they talk for a bit, begin playing music together, and eventually create a demo album together. For Hansard, who had recently had his own heart broken, their relationship could blossom into a great romance. However, Irglova, doesn’t have these same feelings toward Hansard.

One of the reasons for this is because she is quite young, and her father still plays an important role in her life. She can also see that it won’t do Hansard much good to jump into another love affair. By helping him record the album, she helps him to realize another dream: getting off the street so that he can embark on a professional music career.

The roles in this film are not highly complex, but the actors do an excellent job in the more emotional scenes, and their friendship is done quite well. While the movie is a total of 85 minutes in length, there are a total of 13 songs.

CMR gives Once a rating of 3.5 out of 5.