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"What's the Czech for 'Do you love him?'"

2006 R / Romance Music Directed by: John Carney Starring: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Hugh Walsh

Tagline

How often do you find the right person?

Summary Capsule

A guy and a girl get together to make music - quite literally.

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Amazon.com: DVD | Amazon.com: Soundtrack

Lissa's Rating: Heck with the film - I want the soundtrack!
Lissa's Review: So, there's this musical, Once. Now guys, before you run screaming from your computer to drown yourself in the nearest testosterone source like football or grilling (or just hit the back button), hear me out on this. Once is not a normal musical, and you might actually like it. People don't randomly burst into song - there's actually an explanation that makes even more sense than "it's all in her head" or "a demon has come to Sunnydale" or "a patient has a massive aneurysm."

"But the music… wow, I loved the music."

Once is the story of a guy and a girl, both of whom love music. I wouldn't call it a romance, per se, but it is a love story. Over the course of a week, she helps him record an album, thus giving the excuse for the people singing aspect. But more than recording the album, they help each other heal from past romantic wounds. But in a subtle way, not schmaltzy.

I really wanted to see Once because I knew it was a musical, but I didn't know anything about it. Then we started watching it, and I groaned to myself and was pretty convinced I was going to hate it. Once has the same pacing and feel and tone as Lost in Translation, which I hated, and the lead character's accent and facial hair reminded me intensely of David Thewlis in Naked, which I also hated. Then they started singing, and I decided I'd keep my negative opinions to myself, because the music was that good. And then… then the story just grew on me.

One thing that always bothers me about Hollywood and fantasy novels is the fact that relationships are either True Love or End Very Badly, generally with cheating or abuse or other nasty behavior. And yeah, I believe both happen. But both Hollywood and fantasy tend to neglect something else - the relationship where it doesn't work out, but you both benefit from it anyway and part on good terms, knowing that even if you won't spend your lives together, your lives are enriched from being together. They happen, you know. Sometimes, perfectly good people date (or get interested in each other) and just don't fall in love or just don't want the same things. One of the things I REALLY liked about Once is that it acknowledged that. That's kind of rare.

Once is not a complicated story in terms of big events or plots or even startling revelations. But there's a slow, sweet charm to it, and a certain amount of innocence. I mean, take away the language issues (how many times did they drop the f-word in the first few minutes?) and the movie could easily be rated G. And the characters are actually quite likeable. But the music… wow, I loved the music.

When I was in high school, I took a class called "Literature of Musical Theater." I had a teacher who was, quite honestly, one of the best teachers I have ever had. Every time we'd read a musical and hit a song, he'd ask the same question: "What is the purpose of this song?" It's that question that actually makes Once a musical. While all of the songs are framed in the context of "singer recording an album", they all have a narrative purpose within the story. That's what actually makes me call Once a musical as opposed to a story about music. But the songs are lovely, and the soundtrack would easily be a great buy for anyone who likes this genre of music. It reminds me a bit of…well, I'm not sure. It doesn't sound like Broadway, or Moulin Rogue!, but I'm not familiar enough with non-country music these days to give you a band name. Sort of alternative, sort of rock, really nice.

It's kind of a slow movie, and the accents made it very difficult for me to understand half the dialogue (but that's a personal quirk and has a lot to do with my hearing loss), but Once is very worth renting and sticking through. It really blossoms.

Midnight at any college in America How did Drew and Poolman manage to drink this much beer without the indigestion? Should we try yodeling?

Didja Notice? [some sources: IMDb]

• Don't think you're nuts if you never catch their names. They don't ever use them.
• Must. Buy. Soundtrack.

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

Nah.

Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]

The director and cast were suffering from "South Park" withdrawal during filming and thus one of the characters, a session musician, was named "Timmy" - this is obvious as they depart the studio.

The title refers to the many very talented artists that John Carney knew who put off their career by saying "once" they get this and that sorted out, but never succeed because they've put it off too long. This describes the lead character, The Guy.

Groovy Quotes

Guy: What's the Czech for "Do you love him"?

Girl: How come you don't play during daytime? I see you here everyday.
Guy: During the daytime people would want to hear songs that they know, just songs that they recognize. I play these song at night or I wouldn't make any money. People wouldn't listen.
Girl: I listen.

If you liked this movie, try these:

• Lost In Translation
• Across the Universe
• High Fidelity