A Musical it is not. A film it is not.An audition tape is what it is.

Rating: Null/10 (3 September 2007)

Don't let anyone fool you. As sweet as Once is it is certainly not a Musical. What it is, is one long and boring audition video with a weak story thrown in. Granted, the male lead has great moments of both acting and singing, but to call this film a great love story is pushing it. Slow does not come close to describing this semi noble try. As a TV docudrama it might work on a small screen, but the quality of the film making here does not warrant a big screen. For all the hype and fuss I certainly expected much more.
There is even a scene where the male lead shows up with a huge hickie on his neck. This during a love story where the two supposed lovers have not yet been intimate.So, who was asucking on his neck????
Maybe the film was meant to be a mystery.LOL
I had always thought of a musical to be a story in which the musical pieces advance the telling of the story. Here we have a guy writing songs totally independent of the actual story within the film.
Critics love making fools of the public. This is a perfect example.