Begin Again
Now playing at Park Theatre, International Village
Once was the 2006 surprise hit film that netted an Oscar for best song and a Broadway stage production, despite the fact that it starred relative nobodies in the lead role and was so mellow that it made you wish you’d brought that crocheted afghan from home into the theatre.
Director-screenwriter John Carney is aiming for the same vibe with Begin Again, which features a similar storyline about lost souls who find each other through the power of music. Even the movie posters look similar: a long shot down a city street, a couple gazing at each other, guitar case, hipster cross-body messenger bag.
This time around, however, the formula has been tweaked to feature A-list stars (Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo), a more U.S. audience-friendly locale (New York City instead of Dublin) and a bigger production budget, none of which results in a markedly superior film. It’s pleasant, but well short of amazing.
Dan (Ruffalo) is a record exec trying to drown out reminders of his very bad day. Half cut at a bar in the East Village, he is one of the only patrons who hears Gretta (Knightley) gamely crooning onstage, trying to drown out ambient chatter and kitchen noises. Pretty brave, actually, for a woman used to singing only for her cat.
Immediately Dan imagines how Gretta’s tune could hit big with added accompaniment, not to mention how she might be able to get him his job back. “I was having a nervous breakdown, and then I heard your song… I want to make records with you.” Gretta is not so easily convinced: she had been plotting her return to the U.K. after her rising-star boyfriend (first-time actor but big-deal musician Adam Levine) cheated on her. But Dan plans to get her song heard, and failing that, convinces her to record a whole album on the various streets of the Big Apple, “every song… in a different location.”
As the title suggests, several relationships need new starts or definitive endings, including the ones between Dan and his estranged wife (Catherine Keener), between Dan and his teenaged daughter (Hailee Steinfeld), and between Gretta and her cheatin’ beau Dave. The story is unremarkable and contains few surprises. But credit goes to Carney for once again crafting another “nice” film, one that earnestly believes in the transformative power of notes and lyrics. The original title of the film was Can A Song Save Your Life? (changed after last year’s Toronto International Film Festival), which gives you some idea of Carney’s endearing optimism.
The film is greatly enhanced by some fine supporting actors, notably Keener (always great), Mos Def in a brief turn as Dan’s business partner, and Brit actor James Corden as Gretta’s wise-cracking friend and saviour. And Maroon 5 fans can rest easy knowing that their frontman Levine is actually pretty great in his first feature film role (his song “Lost Stars” is also featured on the soundtrack).
The other big question? Knightley turns out to be a decent singer and guitarist (she was reportedly coached by her husband, Klaxons vocalist James Righton). Too bad her character just isn’t especially remarkable. More character study, story depth and less music montages would’ve made all the difference. Begin Again is a nice film, endearing and easy-listening, but with none of the depth of feeling that made Once a smash hit.
