A great soundtrack and good performances make up for the story's flaws

Rating: 7/10 (13 February 2015)

Begin Again tells the story of a hapless music producer at the end of his rope and his discovery of a broken hearted indie musician who has raw talent and a bit of a mouth on her. Starring Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley, Begin Again has no shortage of talent both on and off screen but the film's story is a jumbled and incoherent mess told in very jolting ways that almost seem as if they were meant to confuse the audience. Written and Directed by Once's John Carney, the film suffers from narrative flaws much like his previous film but has enough charisma to carry us through to the finish line. Begin Again has the look and feel of indie just with a big budget cast and Adam Levine doing the soundtrack. It is really well done in regards to the look and feel of the film but it has a hard time telling its story and becomes muddled in its third and final act which almost crumbles the film if it wasn't for Ruffalo and Knightley. Like I said, the performances in this film are actually really good considering it is packed full of pop stars. Levine does a fine job playing himself in this film, a pretentious musician with a voice unlike any other. Cee Lo Green makes an appearance but ultimately feels more like a plot device than an actual real character in the film. Mark Ruffalo as Dan is a blast to watch, he is a complete jerk but in a way that you can't help but love him. His fast paced way of telling it how it is between clove cigarettes and sips of a flask is nothing short of enjoyable. Carney's screenplay is an absolute jumbled mess and if it wasn't for the excellent soundtrack and montages that accompany the music, I'd probably give it a lower rating. The characters are well written, the dialog was outstanding but the overall structure of the story is poorly done. Carney has a hard time with transitions here, and his editing choices are questionable to say the least. Hard cuts in the middle of scenes, and sudden jumps in time make for a very jumbled experience that could have been saves if it was just edited with a bit more finesse. Despite this, it is still a fresh take on the musical genre and does resemble Carney's previous film Once but this film has a bit more of a lighter feel to it than that. Overall, Begin Again is a jumbled mess saved by two great performances from Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightly along with an awesome soundtrack.