Once
Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: May 16, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
89
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
33
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Entertainment WeeklyOwen 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. Read full review
100
L.A. WeeklyElla 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. Read full review
100
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
In its own subdued, mellow way, Once is just about perfect. Read full review
100
Wall Street JournalJoe 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. Read full review
100
Los Angeles TimesKenneth 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? Read full review
100
Chicago TribuneMichael 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. Read full review
100
Chicago ReaderJ.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. Read full review
100
Boston GlobeTy 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. Read full review
100
Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill White
A miracle of a movie that is both fairy tale and slice of life. Read full review
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger 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. Read full review
91
Portland OregonianShawn 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. Read full review
91
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
There's not a false moment within the film's 88-minute running time, nor many that could be done any better. Read full review
90
The New York TimesA.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. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleToddy Burton
Ultimately, Once transcends even its own ambitions, becoming a complex meditation on relationships, Irish culture, and music. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazineKen 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. Read full review
88
New York PostKyle Smith
What "Rent" should have been, Once is: a Bohemian rhapsody. Read full review
88
PremiereEthan 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. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter Travers
It's a magical, beguiling wonder. Read full review
88
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Once is a film for anyone who has ever been transported by the power and passion of music. Read full review
88
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. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter 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. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJames Greenberg
The film has enormous charm and zero pretense. Read full review
80
Village VoiceRobert 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. Read full review
80
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Although there's plenty of music, and plenty of joy, in Once, it's ultimately a quiet, wistful picture. Read full review
80
Washington PostAnn 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. Read full review
80
EmpireDan 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. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames 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. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth 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. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
This is a very little film with a very large heart. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
This simple story of a Guy and a Girl and their music is very appealing. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
I can't imagine anyone seeing Once and not instantly falling in love with it. Read full review
70
Film ThreatJeremy 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. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis Harvey
Winningly unpretentious tale uses a wispy romantic narrative as a vehicle for attractive original tunes. Read full review
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