Surprisingly lovely

Rating: 7/10 (4 March 2016)

I was a bit shocked that I liked this movie as much as I did, if I'm honest. I adore Mark Ruffalo in anything, but am not particularly enamored of Keira Knightley, as her performance often comes off as a little 'brattish' and unsympathetic to me. Also, the idea of her as a singer kind of rankled for me, as I felt as if the role could have been given to someone with genuine a musical background rather than an A list star who just happens to be able to sing.
That said, I was bracing myself for hating the 'music' part of the movie, so was pleasantly surprised to discover all of Gretta's songs were wonderfully written, quirky and delicate rather than poppy over-produced crap that would have been incidental to the plot. I adored the idea of music recorded with a background of city sounds, and loved seeing how the 'band' formed so organically and the individual characters of the musicians. That part felt very real for me, and was massively entertaining to watch.
Ruffalo's enthusiastic, weathered Dan was a warm, sweet-hearted lead, who just unfolded like a flower as the movie went on; starting out as a slightly unsympathetic stubborn jerk and ending as a man who'd discovered the joy of life. I loved that the moments of tenderness between him and Gretta never moved into romance, but instead realistically portrayed the very special connection made with someone who helps you grow and change. My heart ached during the scenes when they walked the city at night - sharing Gretta's playlist - because to meet someone like that and share such a special evening is a moment that sometimes only happens once in a lifetime.
Such a touching, joyful film and one most musicians I know would love.