Synopsis:

This film, set in Ireland, is a story of a relationship between a street performer known as Guy and a Czech imigrant known as Girl.  Guy (Glen Hansgard) is a songwriter and performer.  He spends his mornings working with his father in a vacuum cleaner repair store and the rest of his time on the streets of Dublin singing his heart out for extra change.  Girl (Marketa Irglova) sells flowers on the same streets and is a superb pianist. 

One evening, the two meet and before long the two are playing music together.  The harmony (pun intended) between the two of them is wonderful.  They decide to attempt to record an album and the film follows their journey.

The Freak's Rating: A : My favorite thing to do is introduce someone to a film they might normally not see, then watch them enjoy it.  Jen & I frequently entertain friends at our house by watching a movie together, and I'm always looking for more movies to showcase.  Identity, The Prestige and Apocalypto are a few of the films that fit the mold.  Once is the next one I'll definitely add to my collection.

There are three stars in this film: Guy, Girl and the music.  The tracks are phenomenal and you'll be as silent watching the film and absorbing them as you have ever been watching a moving musical performance on a stage.

I hear so many friends of mine complain about how there is never anything good out there, yet they are never willing to take a chance on something that might not fit what they want out of a movie.  They digest mainstream hits like Live Free Or Die Hard and Blood Diamond (both of which I enjoyed), but then complain about how they "knew what was going to happen".  There is something to be said for formulaic films that do the job well (such as those two just mentioned).  However, there is always amazement when a film comes along that doesn't follow the path you'd expect and somehow moves you.  Falling Slowly is a song from the film you can listen to for free at the official site.  It has just been nominated for an Academy Award and I'll definitely be pulling for it.

If you are one of those people, I challenge you not to enjoy Once.  It is incredibly charming and one of the best films I've seen this year.

Jennifer M's Rating: A : Loved this movie!  I was pleasantly surprised by the film. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys musicals.
 

Jen's Rating: A : I've never seen a movie like this one before I loved it.  It's part romantic part musical and it's just so real.  The music is fantastic, I fell in love with it instantly.  What an inspiration, it makes me want to pick up my guitar again or start playing the piano again.  A true showcase of the impact music can have.

Brian's Rating: B : Is this movie romantic?  Yes.  Is this a love story.  Well, no, it is not.  This is the story of loneliness, not love.  The film does an excellent job of bringing the emotions of the characters to the screen.  It certainly transcends the boundary of the screen in order to illicit emotion in the audience.  It exudes loneliness.  Personal loneliness for each of the 2 main characters.  You feel it, you understand it, and it is portrayed well.  The directing is excellent, the acting is good, and the scenes flow together very nicely.  MMF said it in his review, but I will restate that the music is amazing.  It reminds me of "The Verve", another Irish music group that I liked very much.  Having said all that, this is just not my style of movie.  There have been plenty of great films and novels where the central theme of the story was to accurately portray a base human emotion, or instinct.  Done well, it makes the character very "human", and it reminds us of our humanity.  This is why Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" is a classic novel.  "Once" does its intended job, and it does it well, but like Moby Dick, I simply find it boring.  I am shallow.  I simply want to be entertained.  I am quite certain I understood this movie.  I just was not entertained.  If you like thought provoking movies, or have every enjoyed being in a book club, or if you have ever taken and enjoyed a film appreciation class, then by all means, see this movie.  Thats just not me.  It gets a B because its done very well, and the music is very good.  And I will not make fun of anybody who gave this an A.  I can understand why they would.

Leah's Rating: B : I liked this movie.  Very talented musicians. It sounded like a musical but didn't feel like one, which I thought was an added bonus.

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