Begin Again is a pleasant, but not very memorable, film

Rating: 7/10 (11 October 2014)

The main risk in a film about the process of musical creation is the fact that the music isn't as good as the screenplay supposes so. Unfortunately, that's the case with Begin Again. The songs from Gretta and Dan, the main characters, are pleasant and honest, but they never reach the necessary degree of greatness in order to convince us on her talent as a composer, or his magic vision as a producer. But nevertheless, Begin Again works reasonably well because of its narrative; and even though the music isn't particularly brilliant, it works as an attractive accompaniment (and occasionally catalyst) of the human drama. And then, we have the solid performances from the whole cast, starting by Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley, who are completely credible as two "lost souls" seeking for a new sense in their lives, which they might find sharing a creative project. Catherine Keener and Hailee Steinfeld also bring honest and detailed works as Dan's wife and daughter (respectively). Adam Levine (the singer from Maroon 5) plays the character of Gretta's unfaithful husband, but he took the good decision of not portraying him as a monster, but as a typical rock star who was a victim of his own success. I don't like Levine's music band, but he has shown talent as an actor in this movie. In conclusion, I found Begin Again entertaining and pleasant, but forgettable and superficial. I can give it a moderate recommendation as an inoffensive weekend distraction, but if you want to see brilliant films about musical creation, I recommend you Once (whose director, John Carney, was the same one from Begin Again) or Phantom of the Paradise.