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Once
Fox Searchlight Pictures


8.0

based on 33 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 201 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MUSIC:

MPAA RATING: R for language

Starring Alaistair Foley, Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, and Geoff Minogue

A modern day musical set on the streets of Dublin. Featuring Glen Hansard from the Irish band "The Frames," the film tells the story of a street musician and a Czech immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story. (Fox Searchlight)

GENRE(S):	Drama \| Foreign \| Musical
WRITTEN BY:	John Carney
DIRECTED BY:	John Carney
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: December 18, 2007 Theatrical: May 16, 2007
RUNNING TIME:	85 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	Ireland

Audience Award (World Cinema - Dramatic), 2007 Sundance Film Festival

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Until Once, I'm not sure that I'd ever seen a small-scale, nonstylized, kitchen-sink drama in which the songs take on the majesty and devotion of a musical dream.

100

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

In its own subdued, mellow way, Once is just about perfect.

100

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Once proves to be as smart and funny as it is sweet; it swirls with ambiguity and conflict beneath a simple surface. In all of 88 minutes, Mr. Carney's singular fable follows its guy and girl through a week of musical and emotional growth that could suffice for a lifetime.

100

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

The music is so rich and completely satisfying and the characters so appealing Once makes us believe that this is all happening right in front of our eyes. We fall for each of these young people at the precise moment they are falling for each other, and what could be better than that?

100

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

It's a very small piece, working in a deceptively casual storytelling style. But it's my favorite music film since "Stop Making Sense," and it's more emotionally satisfying than any of the Broadway-to-Hollywood adaptations made in the last 20 years.

100

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

The songs don't advance the narrative lyrically so much as follow the two characters' uncertain relationship through the slow realization of their themes; in particular a scene in which they first jam together in the back room of a music store is a gem.

100

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Once is the first rock musical that actually makes sense. People don't burst into song in this movie because the orchestra's swelling out of nowhere. The guy and the girl are working musicians -- or they'd like to be, if they could make a living at it -- and they're played by working musicians.

100

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Bill White

A miracle of a movie that is both fairy tale and slice of life.

100

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Once is the kind of film I've been pestered about ever since I started reviewing again. People couldn't quite describe it, but they said I had to see it. I had to. Well, I did. They were right.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

Music aside, what finally puts Once over and makes it a film you can watch more than once is its slight but thoroughly credible realism.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

There's not a false moment within the film's 88-minute running time, nor many that could be done any better.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

Its low-key affect and decidedly human scale endow Once with an easy, lovable charm that a flashier production could never have achieved. The formula is simple: two people, a few instruments, 88 minutes and not a single false note.

Austin Chronicle Toddy Burton

Ultimately, Once transcends even its own ambitions, becoming a complex meditation on relationships, Irish culture, and music.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

It's a magical, beguiling wonder.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Most movies have music, some movies are musicals, but very few movies combine the two with the grace and pure eloquence of Once.

TV Guide Ken Fox

Focusing strictly on stripped-down performances of great music and the charming chemistry between the two leads, it's a perfectly realized yet unassuming movie that deserves to find a big audience.

Premiere Ethan Alter

Once may not boast stellar production values or elaborate dance numbers, but in its own scruffy way it captures the spirit of the genre better than any recent Hollywood musical.

USA Today Claudia Puig

Once is a film for anyone who has ever been transported by the power and passion of music.

New York Post Kyle Smith

What "Rent" should have been, Once is: a Bohemian rhapsody.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

The film drags a bit and Irglova's inexperience as an actor sometimes leaves her costars in the lurch. But it's a sweet little film just the same.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Once feels handmade in the best sense, an impressionistic feast for the senses cobbled together from lovely grace notes and a warm palette of reds and yellows.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Although there's plenty of music, and plenty of joy, in Once, it's ultimately a quiet, wistful picture.

The Hollywood Reporter James Greenberg

The film has enormous charm and zero pretense.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

Even the uninitiated will be hard-pressed to resist the movie's charms, from its likable leading players and its charming Dublin setting to its wistful take on modern love.

Village Voice Robert Wilonsky

Yet the magic of the movie is how utterly wrenching it renders these songs, which thrive alongside the film's simple, eloquent, dusky narrative.

Empire Dan Jolin

The year’s most pleasant cinematic surprise. Once has enough heart, wit, verve and sheer songwriting genius to ensure you’ll see it far more times than its title suggests.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

This simple story of a Guy and a Girl and their music is very appealing.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

I can't imagine anyone seeing Once and not instantly falling in love with it.

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

This is a very little film with a very large heart.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

This isn't a perfect motion picture but, in the midst of summer's vapid pursuit of spectacle, a movie that provides real heart and emotion is a rare find.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Once isn't especially complex, but the chemistry between its appealing leads (who contribute to the lovely score) feels deeply true. You'd have to look awfully hard to find such sincerity in a Hollywood romance.

Film Threat Jeremy Mathews

A film of limited production values, a low-quality picture and the occasional flubbed camera move. But it makes up for these flaws with sharp observations, compelling characters and a great collection of music.

Variety Dennis Harvey

Winningly unpretentious tale uses a wispy romantic narrative as a vehicle for attractive original tunes.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 201 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

LAURA H gave it a10:
This is an everyday story with beautiful music.

William K. gave it a10:
Outstanding film with a beautiful soundtrack.

Tim R. gave it a10:
Great small time movie.

Diego L. gave it a10:
Loveable motion picture, really cativating. The music is great and the actors are great. It's simple, but that's a lesson many directors could learn. Waiting for a special edition.

Carrie B gave it a3:
The only thing of interest in this move is the beautiful music. But let's not judge a movie based on the soundtrack. The story is paper thin, and the weakest link is Irglova, who adds very little and is unconvincing as an actress. All she does in the first fifteen minutes is ask a stranger multiple times about his old girlfriend. The fact that they play out entire songs that don't drive the plot is another mistake. One-dimensional characters and lack of story kill this film. I saw Hansard & Irglova in concert and unlike the movie, didn't walk away wanting my money back.

Himf J. gave it a0:
Boring and incredibly predictable. A waste of time and money.

Matt M. gave it a10:
I bought this on a whim at a DVD store because I remembered it winning an Oscar for best song. I finally got around to watching it a month later. I didn't have very high expectations, I've seen a lot of low budget indies films. Nevertheless this movie blew me away. I sat through it thinking that it can't really be this good, and it kept getting better. The music is incredible and passionate. It is the only movie I've ever watched and then immediately started it over and watched it a second time...I loved it that much.

Once Fox Searchlight Pictures

Once
Fox Searchlight Pictures