Happy St. Patrick's Day! - Once (2007)

20th Century Fox, 2007
Starring Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Hugh Walsh, and Geoff Minogue
Directed by John Carney
Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

After the complicated shenanigans with leprechauns and and pots of gold in the Finian's Rainbow review from last year, I thought I'd try something a little quieter and more contemporary. This love story between a guy and a girl making music in Ireland was a surprise hit on its debut and later proved equally popular on the legitimate stage. Is it just as romantic over a decade later? Let's head to Grafton Street in Dublin to hear a local street singer (Hansard) play his songs and find out...

The Story: The guy first encounters the girl, a florist from the Czech Republic (Irglova), when he runs into her after chasing a man who stole his money. He goes to her house to fix her vacuum cleaner and discovers she, too, is a musician. They start playing together, and she finds out that most of his songs are about a break-up with a long-time girlfriend who cheated on him. He introduces his parents, but she's not ready for him to put the moves on her. They do make up and start making some great music together. They even manage to get other street musicians together and cut a demo tape. He, however, still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend, and she has a husband in the Czech Republic she wants to bring to Dublin.

The Song and Dance: This is such a sweet movie. It's just a lovely, simple story of a guy, a girl, and the music they share. Hansard and Irglova are musicians, not really actors, but their acting comes off as unaffected and authentic. The movie was largely filmed in and around the real Dublin for even more authenticity. This is what a low-budget indie musical should look like - just a nice little story about people who enjoy making music together.

Favorite Number: The hit Oscar-winning ballad "Falling Slowly" is the first song the two play together after they discover they're musicians...and it's where they find out just how much chemistry they have together. "Broken Hearted Hoover Sucker Guy" is his explaining about his girlfriend leaving him on the bus home. They impress the studio engineer - and the audience - with the tougher "When Your Mind Is Made Up." "The Hill" is her touching and gentle solo number on an empty piano.

Trivia: The movie proved equally popular on the stage. It was just as surprising a hit on Broadway in 2012, running almost three years and winning the Tony for Best Musical. It ran for two years on the West End.

What I Don't Like: First of all, this is for grown-ups only. There's a lot of rough language, especially from the guy. It's one of the rare musicals to be rated R in the US for a reason. For those of us on this end of the pond, the accents can occasionally be hard to decipher. And obviously, if you like your musicals bigger, brassier, or bolder, this is definitely not the place for you. This is a quiet love story about a guy and a girl who don't even really get together in the end.

The Big Finale: If you're looking for something smaller and sweeter in your musicals, you can't do better than once of the loveliest romantic dramas of the 2000's.

Home Media: As one of the more popular musicals of the last fifteen years, it's easily found in all major formats.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime