good but not as great as Once

Rating: 7/10 (7 March 2015)

Dan Mulligan (Mark Ruffalo) is a drunken executive of an indie record label. He headed A&R at Island Records for 2 years before starting his own label Distressed Records with Saul Byron (Yasiin Bey). However he has been down and out for years. He's separated from his wife Miriam (Catherine Keener) and estranged from his daughter Violet (Hailee Steinfeld). He gets fired from his own label and then he sees Gretta James (Keira Knightley) performing at a bar after she's pushed onto the stage by her friend Steve (James Corden). She had come to NYC with boyfriend Dave Kohl (Adam Levine). Dave became an overnight success after his music got onto a movie. He cheated on her and they broke up right before that night at the bar.
Writer/director John Carney fails to relive the same magic as his big breakout 'Once'. It would be a disservice to dismiss this movie for failing to jump that high bar. It's hard to capture magic twice especially in a similar fashion. My first opinion as I watched the movie is that Dan is from another era and Carney is past his due date. Then it turns out that Dan is actually coming from another era. His character quickly grows on me. Keira Knightley is a great actress but only an adequate singer. On the other hand, Adam Levine is the exact opposite. They're both good enough at their weaker sides to make this movie work. Their scenes together are good with Keira doing most of the heavy lifting. Keira's singing is weak but the group production is able to pump her up. James Corden adds a little fun. I was also a little hesitant about the flashbacks and forwards until the imaginary musical instruments scene. That is a wonderful touch. It's also a terrific love note to NYC.