Once

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.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

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

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Bill White

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

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.