Begin Again

Film Title:
Begin Again

Director:
John Carney
Writer:
John Carney

Starring:
Kiera Knightley, Mark Ruffalo

Production Company: Sycamore Picture, Exclusive Media Group,
Likely Story, Apatow Productions
Release Date: July 11th 2014 (UK)

Previously intended to be titled Can A Song Save Your Life?, Begin Again is the second musical film written and directed by John Carney. Though Carney's success with Once (2007) put him on the map for the indie musical genre, Begin Again surpassed the worldwide box office for is previous film, bringing in $63,464,861 - probably due to the staggering number of big names featured in the smaller project.

We begin on a late night open mic somewhere in New York where Gretta (Knightley) reluctantly takes to the stage to perform a quiet song surprisingly early into the movie, and is afterwards approached by a struggling music producer Dan (Ruffalo). The chance encounter grows into a refreshingly romance-free collaboration between the singer-songwriter and producer as they create an album and homage to New York, recording in open air around the city and patching together their disrupted and crumbling lives as they go. Appearances from Dan's daughter (Steinfeld) and ex-wife (Keener), Gretta's ex-boyfriend (Levine) and best friend (Corden) undoubtedly bring the appeal for wider audiences to enjoy this dramatic comedy musical.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and while it received mostly positive reviews, it's a fair point to say that the most obvious thing the movie achieves is a feel-good atmosphere and some catchy tunes. However, Knightley's flawed but genuine voice and the butter truths left unresolved at the end of the story do a good job of echoing everyday life in the big city and is likely to satisfy audiences looking for a little more realism in their entertainment.

Watch the trailer for Begin Again on YouTube here.