Leaves you smiling

Rating: 8/10 (29 August 2014)

When considering the elements that make up Begin Again, it's apparent that this could have been a disaster. A heartwarming tale featuring Keira Knightley as an under-appreciated singer-songwriter, plucked from obscurity by a washed-up music executive who hears something special when he accidentally catches her only live performance in a New York bar? Keira Knightley singing? James Corden as Keira Knightley's acoustic-guitar-strumming best buddy? The guy from Maroon 5?
Well it is quite heartwarming actually, and it largely works. Much of this can be put down to Mark Ruffalo's relentless likability even when playing flawed characters. Reminiscent of his recent performance in 'Thanks for Sharing', his character's renewed enthusiasm for music is genuinely infectious and therefore believably so in the context of the film. Knightley's singing is fine, though it hardly stops you in your tracks, while the songs are generally good enough to feasibly convince as minor, middle-of-the-road hits. There are various subtexts regarding the music industry and its relationship with artists, among other things, but these always feel secondary to the life-affirming central story of a pair of people helping each other to pursue what makes them happy.
Begin Again leaves you smiling, and that's the measure of success for this type of film.