![]() Part of that is because Ruffalo and Knightley don’t share enough chemistry to sell the notion of mutual attraction. Like “Once,” “Begin Again” soars whenever there’s singing and stumbles when making half-hearted stabs at romance. To that end, Dan comes up with the idea of recording Gretta’s album live on the streets of New York City, accompanied by a makeshift band assembled through calling in favors and promises of back-end deals. Now if he can just get his former partner, Saul (Yasiin Bey, aka Mos Def) to hear it the way he hears it, Dan soon could be on top again, maybe even win back his estranged wife (a wasted Catherine Keener) and wayward daughter (Hailee Steinfeld despicably forced to dress like a hooker). ![]() Not Dan, he’s not only hearing her voice he’s mixing it in his head with an assortment of strings and drums, all seen – in a neat bit of movie trickery – played by what looks like an invisible band of ghosts. And, per usual, everyone is ignoring her. ![]() It’s Gretta, of course, performing a farewell tune on her acoustic guitar. In the movie’s most indelible scene, Ruffalo’s washed-up music exec, Dan, enters a Manhattan dive for the whiskey he craves and gets exactly what he needs in the intoxicating voice emanating from the stage. Not just any HE, mind you, but a HE with the sad, sexy eyes of Mark Ruffalo.īut it’s not his peepers that are about to save her it’s his ears – and imagination. With less than 24 hours until Gretta is slated to board a plane back to London, HE, drunk and disheveled, staggers into her life. In other words, it’s time for fate – and a cheesy movie script – to intervene. But with zero job prospects and even less hope, it might be best to finally call it quits. That is until she finally summoned the courage to split and seek shelter in the flea-bag flat inhabited by her schlumpy best friend, Steve (Tony-winner James Corden, excellent as always). ![]() It’s not perfect, and it would be too slick if it was, but it’s warm and convincing, especially wrapped around the instantly catchy tunes written by Carney and a handful of collaborators, including Glen Hansard, who won an Oscar for co-writing “Falling Slowly,” the signature tune from “Once.” We knew Knightley could act, but the depth and breadth of her singing catches you by complete surprise. Chiefly, Keira Knightley, utterly believable as a spurned woman who’s all but given up on the dream of becoming a successful singer/songwriter. While the sameness is a liability, there are rewards – if you’re willing to look for them. But the plot is pretty much the same: Two lost, lonely people connecting through music and finding renewed meaning in their lives. Therein lies the crux of the woes facing John Carney’s “Begin Again,” a musical so much like the filmmaker’s previous effort that it should have been called “Once, Again.” The scenery has changed, relocating from Dublin to New York, and instead of unknown musicians acting we get accomplished actors singing. ![]()
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