Begin Again – Film Review

Few movies are able to bring a smile to my face and make me feel as alive as John Carney‘s Begin Again does. Right from the moment it begins in dazzling fashion right up to the final few, emotionally triumphant moments, this is a film that will take you on a huge rollercoaster ride of emotions that will reduce you to a complete mess by the end.

A lot of this is due to the insanely impressive script that Carney wrote for the movie. While watching Begin Again, you’ll feel as if you’re watching the lives of actual musicians who are simply trying to change the world the only way they see fit – making a seriously good album with real instruments.

The only issue is that our lead protagonist Dan has just lost his job at the record label that he founded. After watching a young woman named Gretta perform at a bar one night and being seriously impressed, he wants to help her make an album that he’s convinced is going to blow up.

But how will they record this album without a studio? How will they release it without a label? Dan takes to the streets to record the album with Gretta, setting up a huge band in front of some of New York’s most famous landmarks. It’s this kind of energy that makes Begin Again so much fun and magical.

Keira Knightley brings a ton of raw energy to the role of Gretta, who just wants to make music the way she envisions it, no matter what the rest of the world tells her. Her biggest supporter is Dan, who is easily the most entertaining character in the movie, and also the one with the juiciest backstory.

It’s hard not to feel sympathy for Dan throughout the film, despite the fact that he’s an alcoholic father who never spends time with his teenage daughter Violet. You can tell with each passing scene that he’s slowly but surely trying to be a better person and it’s infectiously uplifting. Mark Ruffalo is one of my favorite actors of all-time, and this is easily my favorite performance of his.

There’s also the music in the film which is a true delight. There’s plenty of great tracks to choose from such as “Like A Fool” and “Tell Me If You Wanna Go Home,” but easily the best has to be “Lost Stars,” which is one of my favorite soundtrack songs from any movie, period.

If you’re on the hunt for an insanely joyous movie that’ll make you appreciate your life just a little bit more after watching it, you really shouldn’t look any further than this. Begin Again is an infectiously optimistic, feel-good musical comedy-drama brought to life by stunning performances from Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo.