Begin Again is the kind of movie destined for the discount bin, but thanks to an incredibly strong cast and a delightful group of songs, Once director John Carney’s latest film is a sparkling tribute to the kind of musicals Hollywood used to make.
Mark Ruffalo stars as Dan Mulligan, a record producer who co-founded an indie label with Saul (Mos Def). While the label is successful, Dan hasn’t found a new act himself in years, so he gets fired. After going on a drinking binge, he spends the night at one bar where Gretta James (Keira Knightley) is performing. He is stunned by her song, written after her rock star boyfriend Dave Kohl (Adam Levine of Maroon 5), so Dan decides he wants to work with her.
While Saul isn’t initially impressed, Dan can’t be stopped. He decides to record Gretta’s music in public places around New York with a band that includes Gretta’s friend Steve (James Corden, future Late Late Show host).
As this goes on, Dan is struggling to reconnect with his teen daughter Violet (Hailee Steinfeld) and his estranged wife Miriam (Catherine Keener). Gretta helps out a little bit on that front, becoming an older sister for Violet and letting her play guitar on a track.
Begin Again, which once had the much more interesting title Can A Song Save Your Life, mixes music and drama in ways few films have in recent years. If Hollywood wants to make a musical today, it has to be a costume drama based on a bloated Broadway show. But Carney proves that music can be used in other ways in film. Music should be integrated into the story, not slow it down and he manages to do that perfectly. The performances aren’t a pause button, but keep the drama moving.
It also helps that he has a really strong cast of stars. It’s nice to see Knightley out of her usual 18th Century Europe setting and in the middle of New York. She’s a charming actress and yes, it is her singing. Ruffalo is also really good as Dan, pulling off the bumbling drunk schtick off. Any time he’s away from the screen (particularly the long sequence explaining Gretta’s backstory), it feels like we are missing energy.
The one weak point is Adam Levine, who should just stick to music. He botches a very dramatic scene between Gretta and Dave near the end of the film. Knightley is at one level, but Levine struggles to keep up with her.
Begin Again hits Blu-ray on Tuesday from Anchor Bay and The Weinstein Company. Sadly, there’s not much here in terms of extras. “The Making of Begin Again” is a 20-minute EPK, with the actors and producers talking about how great each other is. It does get a bit interesting in the last few minutes when Carney gets to explain his ideas for the film. (There’s also an interesting bit where Levine is clearly referencing the film’s original title.)
The only other bonus features are music videos, which are just made up of clips from the film. It would have been nice to have seen full, unedited performances instead of commercials for the soundtrack.
Sure, Begin Again has already been forgotten in terms of awards, but it’s a charming little movie and thoroughly enjoyable. Carney isn’t shooting for the moon here, he’s just giving audiences a warm picture with music, proving that there is a place for musicals in today’s landscape.