Review of Begin Again (2014) by Lyn — 18 Jan 2015

While there's not a song like "Falling Slowly" to stick in your mind as with the director's previous film, "Once," this is a warm and creative slice of the songwriters' life. Keira Knightley is at her most winsome and Mark Ruffalo at his most adorable as they discover, challenge, support and inspire each other.

My favorite scene was near the beginning. Ruffalo, a down-on-his-luck music producer, hears Knightley's low-key and poorly received singing in a bar. Then it shows him imagining all the elements that could make the song a hit -- mentally adding in piano, drums, strings, backing vocals.

(Yeah, Knightley's voice is a little thin, but just think of all those marginally talented, autotuned kewpie dolls who are stars currently.) Glad for a nice little film I can recommend to my friends who aren't into sci fi, superheroes, scorching drama or violence.