I hate giving this a low rating

Rating: 4/10 (14 March 2008)

This is a case where I'm sure the filmmakers were sure they were on target, but it just doesn't come together. Assuredly, there are beautiful scenes in this, but for me, the film just plain doesn't connect. I actually had trouble getting through it.
I find myself comparing this with ONCE, another movie which while not actually a musical relied on the music to help it along. In that case, the music helped create a flow that kept me interested and ultimately caused me to fall in love with the film. However, that didn't happen for me in this. The predictability and sugar sweetness bothered me much more in this than such things usually do, and I just found myself waiting for the film to end.
Reading other reviews, I don't want to discourage people from seeing this because many, especially those who love music, may feel differently than I do about it. It's clear that those behind this were well-intentioned and I'm sure that those who like me are disappointed by it still are glad that we gave it a chance.