"This is not Gerry Maguire" but is a nice film about music and relationships.

Rating: Null/10 (14 July 2014)

Film opens in a bar. A shy girl, played by Keira Knightley, sings a song. In the audience is a strange looking man played by Mark Ruffalo. The film goes back in time to see how they got there. However, this is not one of those films that starts with the end scene, thus spoiling all the suspense. Here the flashbacks are done well, and cleverly, to quickly bring the viewer back to the bar, and the start of the film. Now we learn why Mr Ruffalo's character looks strange, and why Miss Knightley's character is shy.
Mark Ruffalo looks very grizzled and he seems to have got his brash New York character down to a tee, despite not being a native New Yorker himself. Miss Knightley plays well the idealistic song-writer from out-of-town.
The plot revolves around them getting together to produce some music. This reviewer was a little concerned that there may be too much music in this film, however this turned out to not be a problem. There are perhaps four major music scenes, one or two of which felt, to me, ever so slightly, too long. However, knowing that the film was about music, I merely gritted my teeth, very gently.
Earlier this year, this reviewer saw Miss Knightley in 'Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit' and although playing against Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Costner and Chris Pine, she more than held her own in scenes, some of which were exciting, and some sweet.
Miss Knightley prepared thoroughly for her role in 'Begin Again'. IMDb quotes her as saying she was taught guitar by her husband but that it led to disharmony in the relationship. In an interview, Miss Knightley says that she learnt all her lines prior to shooting, but when filming started, Writer/Director John Carney decided to do a lot of improvisation. What were lines, and what was improvisation, is unclear. Certainly the early singing scenes seem authentic and it must be hoped that the sweet-voiced Miss Knightley does have her songs released, in reality, outside of this film.
John Carney directs well. The film is meant to be low-budget, but it looks good. It has an almost documentary feel, especially in some of the music scenes. This is conveyed by the camera-work. Small hand-held cameras seem to have been well utilized to give an authentic look. There are none of the dreadful dizzying spinning shots that some directors think are needed to give an authentic documentary look. This is all achieved by the way the cameras are used. There is a street-guerrilla-look to the filming that fits in perfectly with the theme of street-guerrilla music-making and thus gives it authenticity.
The main stars are also supplemented by a good supporting cast. James Corden convinces in his role as another musician and the scenes between him and fellow Brit Miss Knightley seem very natural. Mr Ruffalo too has some great scenes with Hailee Steinfeld and Catherine Keener. Again they seem authentic and believable. An early scene with Mr Ruffalo and Miss Steinfeld is one of the funniest in the film. So there is some comedy too, in this film about music. There is also nice interaction between Miss Knightley and Miss Steinfeld.
One of the main themes of the film is relationships. Miss Knightley plays a character who seems very sensitive, perceptive and empathetic. Thus through her, we the audience can quickly pick up the vibes and follow the plot. Mr Ruffalo, last year also made 'Now You See Me', in which he played a hard-boiled detective hunting down some bank-robbing magicians, however his character did have some charm. Here too, in this film, Mr Ruffalo gives us charm with his native New Yorker character, who also has a more realistic gritty bad-boy side to him as well.
This film about artists at work, and their lives and loves, is one that surpassed my expectations. The relationships were dealt with in a realistic way and the comedy and the music were both pleasant. Perhaps not a rom-com, this is though a nice film, that is both emotional and entertaining, as well as making some comment on current music trends.
A good film which surpassed my expectations. 10/10.
Warning: Film contains beards. Advice: Stay to see the end-credits.