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November 30, 1999
January 1, 2007
20th Century Fox
R (Restricted)
John Carney
Wiltold Owski, Kate Haugh, Markéta Irglová, Senan Haugh, Leslie Murphy (II)
"Great music. Great movie. I found myself with the music after I watched, and also I discovered the band The Frames, which is the main characters band in real life. Great music, Great movie."
- Ben , gave it a 5/5
"A fantastic movie that has stayed with me...excellent tunes...worth owning. If Before Sunrise was between two musicians and had songs instead of dialogue, this would be it."
- TheAnimeReview, gave it a 5/5
Winner of the World Audience Award at Sundance, Once starts out as a small-scale romance, like Before Sunrise, before arriving somewhere unexpected. An Irish busker (Glen Hansard, the Frames and The Commitments) meets a Czech flower seller (Markéta Irglová) while singing on the streets of Dublin. (In the credits, they're listed as Guy and Girl.) She likes what she hears and lets him know. Turns out she's a musician, too. They work on a few songs together and a friendship is forged. She lives with her widowed mother, who doesn't speak English. He lives with his widowed father, who owns a repair shop. Since he broke up with his girlfriend, the guy has been drifting, unable and unwilling to get his life in order. The girl encourages him to pursue a record deal, and the guy emerges from his funk. Then he makes a move on the girl, who rejects his advances. He's confused, but as he comes to find, there's a reason she's keeping her distance. Though Once is filled with appealing folk-pop by Hansard and Irglová (released on CD as The Swell Season), the movie isn't a traditional musical, but rather a more optimistic Brief Encounter. Filmmaker John Carney, Hansard's former bandmate, captures the real city--in all its affluence and poverty--rather than the picture postcard version. His beautifully shot film serves as a heartfelt ballad about all the underclass Guys and Girls swept aside amidst Ireland's economic miracle. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Beyond Once on DVD
 Musicals on DVD |  Once: The Soundtrack |  More from Fox |
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