Once
Metascore
88 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 33 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
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  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    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.
  2. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    100
    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.
  3. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    100
    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.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    100
    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.
  5. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Bill White
    100
    A miracle of a movie that is both fairy tale and slice of life.
  6. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    100
    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?
  7. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    100
    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.
  8. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    100
    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.
  9. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Nathan Rabin
    100
    In its own subdued, mellow way, Once is just about perfect.
  10. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    91
    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.
  11. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Chris Kaltenbach
    91
    There's not a false moment within the film's 88-minute running time, nor many that could be done any better.
  12. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    90
    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.
  13. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Toddy Burton
    89
    Ultimately, Once transcends even its own ambitions, becoming a complex meditation on relationships, Irish culture, and music.
  14. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    88
    It's a magical, beguiling wonder.
  15. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    88
    What "Rent" should have been, Once is: a Bohemian rhapsody.
  16. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    88
    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.
  17. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    88
    Once is a film for anyone who has ever been transported by the power and passion of music.
  18. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Ethan Alter
    88
    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.
  19. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    88
    Most movies have music, some movies are musicals, but very few movies combine the two with the grace and pure eloquence of Once.
  20. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    83
    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.
  21. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: James Greenberg
    80
    The film has enormous charm and zero pretense.
  22. Empire
    Reviewed by: Dan Jolin
    80
    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.
  23. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Stephanie Zacharek
    80
    Although there's plenty of music, and plenty of joy, in Once, it's ultimately a quiet, wistful picture.
  24. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ella Taylor
    80
    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.
  25. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Robert Wilonsky
    80
    Yet the magic of the movie is how utterly wrenching it renders these songs, which thrive alongside the film's simple, eloquent, dusky narrative.
  26. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    80
    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.
  27. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    75
    I can't imagine anyone seeing Once and not instantly falling in love with it.
  28. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    75
    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.
  29. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    75
    This simple story of a Guy and a Girl and their music is very appealing.
  30. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Ruthe Stein
    75
    This is a very little film with a very large heart.
  31. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    75
    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.
  32. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Jeremy Mathews
    70
    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.
  33. Variety
    Reviewed by: Dennis Harvey
    70
    Winningly unpretentious tale uses a wispy romantic narrative as a vehicle for attractive original tunes.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 259 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 122 out of 158
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 158
  3. Negative: 27 out of 158
  1. ryancarroll88
    10
    "Once" works so well in the realm of its own simplicity: two people connect over their love of music, and the week that they share together is fulfilling enough to last a lifetime. The music, written and performed by the two leads Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, is pure bliss and the movie is an independent film, so the dialogue and character interactions are allowed to feel genuine.… Full Review »
  2. MarkB.
    10
    I can't get the movie or the music out of my head weeks after seeing it. It is simply the best movie musical of all time.
  3. BlancoA.
    10
    Brilliance.
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