Easily enjoyed more than its title suggests...

Rating: 7/10 (18 August 2009)

...writer/director John Carney's sophomore full-length outing is a nice piece of entertainment that economically treads the line between outright movie musical and extended form music video. It's very low budget, shot on HDV, starring a guy and a gal who are in no way marquee names, but its economy and simplicity work to the film's advantage. It's a simple tale of boy-meets-girl, with an equally simple premise that both are talented musicians and both are pining for lost loves. Their complementary talents lead to collaboration and potential entanglement. Refreshingly, the leads really *are* talented musicians, earning a 2008 Oscar for Best Song (and a small raft of other awards as well), and if not the Irish Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb, acting-wise, they hold their own. The obvious musical bond lends authority to their relative lack of acting chops; the net effect is a very naturalistic, almost documentary feel. The music, written by the leads (Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová), is predominantly plaintive, angst-y folk-pop, so if you don't care for such tunes, you'll be less likely to enjoy the film, but the songs fit, each advancing the plot and/or emotional underpinnings, which is why "Once" feels very much like the aforementioned long-form music video or even a full-out musical. The main thing is that it all works, the lo-fi production values (which are still quite nice), the often hand-held camera, the unpolished acting, the naturalistic settings, an intelligent script that doesn't try to call attention to itself, it's all wonderfully, decidedly non-Hollywood, a sweet, refreshingly innocent little film. Ymmv, of course, but I found it well worth the time spent with it.
5.1.12 edit: I'm pleased to discover that this rough gem has been, indeed, turned into a theatrical musical, and apparently fine-tuned to such a degree that it's been found Tony-worthy. All the more reason to see this fine little film and enjoy!