User Reviews

Once is one of those films that almost seems impossible to manufacture. It has no grand tricks, it does not underline every emotion, and it never tries to look important. It simply happens. Two people meet, talk, sing, listen to each other, and suddenly the film finds a truth that many far more ambitious stories never reach. It is small only on the surface; inside, it is **** most beautiful thing is the relationship between the two protagonists. The film does not need to turn everything into a conventional love story for it to hurt, move you and feel true. On the contrary: precisely because it respects silences, doubts, limits and tiny gestures, everything feels much more intense. There is a beautiful intimacy between them, a connection born through music but reaching far beyond the **** what songs they are. Music in Once is not decoration, interruption or a music video attached to a plot. It is the film itself. Each song seems to say what the characters do not quite dare to say, or cannot say, or perhaps do not even fully understand yet. The songs open an emotional door that dialogue alone could never open. That is why the film is remembered not only for what it tells, but for how it sounds.There is also something wonderful in its simplicity. The streets, the rooms, the instruments, the rehearsals, the glances: everything has a naturalness that makes it feel as if we are entering a real life, not watching a perfectly packaged fiction. That lack of grandiosity is exactly its strength. Once moves you because it does not force emotion; it lets it **** is a tender, sad, luminous and deeply human film. It is about music, of course, but also about the chances that suddenly appear, about the people who change us without necessarily staying forever, about what can be said through singing because perhaps it cannot be said in any other way. It has a rare purity, the kind that cannot be **** me, Once is an absolute wonder. A perfect film in its scale, its tone, its songs and the relationship it builds between its protagonists. One of those works that proves cinema does not need to be big in order to be immense. All it needs is two people, one true song and the exact emotion.

Every aspect of this film was masterfully crafted. From the writing to the directing, acting, cinematography, sound and picture editing, and even the musical performances were pretty amazing. This is a once in a decade kind of film. It’s no wonder it’s one of the highest rated films of the 2000s.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

It seems such an unexceptional plot, but yet with Carney and our two stars' talents, we are affected so completely and emotionally. Maybe sometimes simplicity is the best thing a film can have.

This film's stratagem to attract audiences is its simplicity and honesty, and that is enough in abundance. The bottom line is that Once is a straightforward romantic story at its core, but the flirtation is natural. Nothing cheeky or with tasteless comedy in between. Everything flows through the actions of the characters and the most important thing that brings them together in the first instance, which is the music. This is the kind of film that has zero ambition to be something it is not. It treats its audience with respect by showing them without gimmicks that what it offers is a story that doesn't seek to entertain you with filler characters or cheap sentimentality. The two of them and the music are the engine that drives everything and Once without any complexity becomes a small but very pleasant experience that when it ends is really satisfactory.

The action of this film takes place in Dublin, Ireland, and shows the story of a young man, willing to be a musician, who plays in the streets. There, he meets a beautiful immigrant girl who is also attracted to the world of music. Both are young, and the romantic attraction between them gradually becomes more obvious, despite the fact that she has a husband in her country (the Czech Republic) and he has a girlfriend who recently moved to London without him. It is a relatively simple story, where two young people cultivate common interests and a friendship that may, or may not, lead to something more. For me, and although the film manages to avoid cheap sentimentality and empty and worn out romantic clichés, it is a very scarce script for a feature film, and on several occasions I felt that the film did not have a story to tell, just a succession of melodies and songs that were appearing one after the other, and that I felt were there to fill space and time. The film is very sweet, romantic and light, but it is not incredible, and I feel that it was also overestimated by the critics, especially since it was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Song (which, by the way, it came to collect). The cast's work is heavily penalized by the absence of material to work with and by a set of characters that were only slightly outlined and underdeveloped. The two co-protagonists, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, nevertheless, did a job that can be considered decent: they look quite natural and their chemistry is good, although neutral and drowned out by their gifts as singers. Technically, the film has ups and downs, but the very low production budget does not allow for great flights. The sound and the soundtrack clearly stand out, with some very high quality songs (the highlight goes, of course, to the song "Falling Slowly") and others that seem somewhat improvised. What I hated the most ended up, therefore, being the use of hand-held cameras and a shaky and tiring cinematography.

This is frequently compared with Before Sunrise, and I'm pretty sure Careny viewed Linklater's first installment in his Before trilogy as an inspiration making this little indie gem. Never have I ever thought I would be once again overwhelmed by the same emotions while watching Before Sunrise for the first time, let alone from watching another film. But whilst the conversations and what they offer of random insights of life form the true essence of Linklater's masterpiece, as well as the bulk of his body of work; Carney's propensity to infuse the spirit of music in his movies and his knack for making it find its way across them has never been so palpable, and so prominent, as it is here. Not only is "Guy" and "Girl"'s mutual passion for music the force that draw them together, but it's also their way of communicating their feelings with each other; a language that's more expressive and revealing than either English or Czech. It's one of these movies that have music as an integral part of them so much so they can nearly be classified as Musical films. Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born is a case in point. Correspondingly, the movie channels empathy in all of us, something that's further bolstered by the impactful and raw soundtrack that seems to capture the heart and soul of busking, and the hand-held camera and grainy images that lended a sense of realism to this sensational experience. What held Once back from a higher score is that it seemed that the two leads' consequences of their past loves that hinder their relationship suddenly popped into their minds, as if they've been quite oblivious to them except at some exact point. That's why the denouement feels abrupt to me. Still, Once is quite possibly my new favourite Carney. (8.5/10)

beautiful, poignant portrayal by Girl (Marke’ta) and terrific music. A soul affirming/restoring experience.

This movie is just so brilliant. I love the ending and it really gives inspiration to other aspiring musicians. One of the best film I've ever watched.

Once is a wonderful, grounded, beautiful, love story, where there are not twists, or great problem, is just people falling in love with music and with themselves, it creates a beautiful story with beautiful music and characters

One of the most magical and romantic films to be released in a while, Once is a phenomenally enjoyable journey that sweeps you up in its mystique and wraps you up in a great hug. I don't know what that means, but it just does. Trust me. The acting is great and authentic. John Carney's direction is very natural and really contributes to the authentic feeling of the film. The music is absolutely gorgeous and entirely infectious. Watching the music come together is fantastic. I also like the narrative structure, which is not there at all. Yet, I like that. Though it can feel a little directionless and feels incomplete, it is essentially designed as a slice of life film. Of course it does not feel complete. Though not quite a great film, Once is still wonderfully crafted and a truly enjoyable experience for a viewer. You will struggle to not have these songs stuck in your head for a long time after viewing.

Once is a film I do not have the heart to downrate because at least the male lead is making an effort. But overall, it comes off as amateur and I am not feeling the vibe of the film. The scenario is like Lost in Translation but there is no chemistry and if there is no chemistry, what does it matter what happens? Still, it is an OK film, short, and not difficult to get through.

A truly phenomenal film and it's beautifully written. I stumbled into seeing this movie when I walked into the living room and it was on the tv and Glen was performing "Say It To Me Now" during the opening credits, and I instantly fell in love with this film. It's the only musical that I've genuinely loved, and it's been my favorite movie for over 2 years now. Just about every scene is breathtakingly beautiful, the music is superb, and makes you feel like you get **** right into the ride.

One of the simplest films of late. It's brilliance lies with two individuals connecting over their love of music. The music they make together is merely an impressive add-on.

This film proves that as long as you have a decent script and acting, the film will work just fine. Newbies try to act extra smart and bring in special effects and CGI, forgetting what it really takes to make a film tick. It is about two people passionately in love with music, and finding support in each other. The plot is even more simple than that, and that's where the beauty of the film lies. I recommend this to all music lovers

There are no shiny sets, larger than life characters or unorthodox costumes in this modern day musical, but this is an unorthodox musical in itself, and is a touching story of friendship, talent and unlikely partnerships in unlikely circumstances. We all pass the 'Big Issue' seller or the talented busker in the town, granted they aren't always talented but anyway, here we have two unlikely companions in the form of a busker man (Glen Hansard) and 'Big Issue' seller woman (Markéta Irglova) they are not named in the film, part from the mans father calling him 'son', they meet each other over talks about vacuum cleaners and songs, songs which they begin writing together, the man lives with his dad and frequently goes out busking in an attempt for more money, but realise he holds into grief from a previous relationship which his new companion picks up on almost immediately. They together attempt to 'make it big' and in the process learn plenty about each other, what is most striking about this is the ordinary of nature of it all, they both live working class and simple lives, but never play the big ego card of dreaming for the stars, they happen across one another and practice together in a music store on their lunch breaks, he lives a routine of helping his dad and chasing young people trying to steal is busking profit, she is from another country and sells flowers, more than likely to fund her mother and daughter who also live with her. This plain and realistic approach shows a very unique element with 'Once', we usually have a musical number in a film with orchestras, fireworks or some massive backing group, but here we have more candid and realistic situations, she needs batteries for her CD player, and so she sings the song to herself on her way back home, while he may be standing outside HMV attempting to put more money in his pocket, these don't have the expensive boom that bigger budget musicals would have, but these just feel so much more personal, natural and real. The performances of the two leads are grounded and true, it feels quite real as if a documentary is happening, especially a particular scene in a recording studio which just hits all the right notes, breathtaking comes mind. This is a true treasure of a film with an honest approach and budget style of filmmaking, it is a musical through and through which feels real, natural, mainly because these are first and foremost musicians, the documentary style benefits this while we also having a compelling story and typical Irish humour that mixes nicely with an otherwise slow and steady film.

Takes about half way into the film for the characters to gel but once they do it is a satisfying movie that uses music to give it a heartwarming touch.

Great movie, I only give it a 9 because 10 is reserved for something really extra special and there is no 9.5. I ask myself "why don't the big boys make movies like this"? The problem is they could make low budget movies but they can't keep their hands off it. What studio would put out such a movie? Production, plain and a little rough; script nice story but no action; actors, there were none in this movie; music, blows me away. The thing is in THIS movie it all works together. If this would have been a studio movie, polished by the know it alls it would just be another over edited, over acted, re-scripted, re-mixed, cut, compromised ruined masterpiece. Before I am finished a little about the music, it is real, it is good. This is real music, I am tired of studios trying to pass off lame supposed cutting edge music that some jingle composer whipped out the last night before recording. Don't plan on seeing this once, you will watch it over and over again.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova star in this incredible low-budget Irish gem, as well as compose the gorgeous soundtrack, winning an Oscar for "Falling Slowly". In a decade of pushing the envelope and huge budgets, it is a simple film made on two handy-cams, that proves to touch the most viewers.

We wanted to see this musical based on the instruments and the singing. That was all awesome but the language was terrible! If you don't mind hearing the "F" bomb every sentence, then this musical is for you. We really would have enjoyed this musical based on it's content however, it was ruined! Maybe they talk that way in Ireland and that's the reason the language was so foul! Either way, could have done without it!!!!!!!

In an era soaked in trite Hollywood special effects, this film defies all convention and actually achieves greatness on the merits of simple, effective storytelling and lovable characters. And of course, the soundtrack is also fantastic, with a brilliant presentation of both melody and harmony rarely heard anymore in modern music.

In recent years there has been a string of movies about the music industry or that used music to tell a story. Once does neither. It uses music to compliment its story in that two musicians in Dublin find each other and through their love of music learn to move on from their respective heartaches. It's an incredibly touching movie that cannot be described, it just has to be seen. The performances by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are great and the direction is wonderful because of its simplicity. However the music in Once is the real draw as it adds flavour to the story and helps develop the burgeoning relationship between the leads. In comparison to the multitude of music films out today, including the dire High School Musical series, it is a masterpiece.

It has surely one of the best song-based soundtracks in the film history. I like the subtle love story, but there are some scenes that, though surely realistic, an everyday thing that want us to get into the story, had the completely opposite effect on me. But is easy to see, interesting and enjoyable.

A slight, rather unimpressive story; a sense of puzzlement overcame me every time they sang a song because frankly the songs weren't as great as the viewer was being invited to anticipate.

"Once" works so well in the realm of its own simplicity: two people connect over their love of music, and the week that they share together is fulfilling enough to last a lifetime. The music, written and performed by the two leads Glen Hansard and MarkÃta Irglová, is pure bliss and the movie is an independent film, so the dialogue and character interactions are allowed to feel genuine.