2006 musicalRating: 17/20
Plot: A Dublin busker, busking when he's not repairing Hoovers in his dad's shop that is, meets and falls for a Czech immigrant who lives with her mother and her young daughter. They spend lots of time together, eventually writing and recording music.
This is a unique musical and love story with two extremely likable leads. They're played by a pair of non-actors, played very well as a matter of fact. Admittedly, I thought I was going to hate this movie ten minutes in. The camera was shaky. It sort of has a faux-documentary feel. And I just didn't know where things were going. I wasn't sure I liked the guy's voice. However, there were so many moments that just got me, mostly moments that were way off in the fringes, subtle glances and barely whispered lines. The (nameless?) busker's father isn't in a lot of scenes, but the father-son relationship is given some emotional depth with no extraneous dialogue or wasted time. I also like the guy who pushes buttons in the studio. He makes this quick transition that, for whatever reason, almost made me like human beings. The acting is wonderful throughout, otherwise these characters just wouldn't work and a scene where they're playing with a frisbee on a beach would just seem silly. The main relationship in Once is between the guy and the gal, of course, and there's not a single moment in that evolving relationship that doesn't ring true. These are two people who need each other, at least for a week or so, and their discovery of each other at just the right time is so beautiful. I guess I can't write about Once without mentioning the music. There may be a few times when a song goes on a little too long, as well as a couple times when I felt like I was watching a music video, but the songs are awfully good. I wasn't able to catch all of the lyrics though. This is simple and cheap storytelling, and it's the better film because of it. This is the type of movie, like Kaurismaki's work, about likable everyday folks struggling with life, and like Kaurismaki's work, it somehow just hits the spot.
A Cory recommendation, and one that I'll also be recommending to people.
4 comments:
I was hoping that you would like this one. The moment you mentioned with the producer is great and surprisingly moving.
I think this film does a better job of conveying the love of creating and playing music than any I have ever seen. The scene in the music shop when he is teaching her his song, and then when they play it together is nothing short of beautiful art in every way. I agree with you about some of the songs being long but very good, but I couldn't get enough of watching their raw energy and joy of performing. It's not perfect, but there is a lot of magic in this film. A 17 for me, as well. Thanks for giving it a try.
Replacement: "It's a Gift"... a W.C Fields movie.
Note: I still am sticking with "A Simple Plan" as a five, but I should give it a ***subjective warning***.
I'm pretty sure I've seen 'It's a Gift'...I went through a bunch of Fields movies 8 or 9 years ago. Haven't seen one in a while though, so I'll grab it. A nice short one will be nice after the lengthy 'Army of Shadows'
Now I am concerned about "Army of Shadows" being too lengthy.
I watched 'Army' in Dylan's room on his giant tv because he was at a friend's house. I thought it was a 90 minute movie (don't know where I got that information) and was surprised when it was much longer. I was also watching it in this idiotic chair of his that is really uncomfortable. I was just whining a little bit. No need to worry as should be obvious when you read my thoughts.
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