Begin Again
Published 2014-11-15
Film info
- Title Begin Again
- Director John Carney
- Year 2013
- Run time 1hr 44m
- Genres Music, Comedy, Romance, Drama
- Tagline You're only as strong as your next move
- Cast Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, Hailee Steinfeld
Begin Again is a soul-stirring comedy about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together. Greta and her long-time boyfriend Dave decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label... Dan, a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 1:22 | What is James Corden doing in this? |
| 5:50 | You might think being a record producer was a great job but it seems pretty awful! |
| 8:55 | "That's an alarming thing to hear the head of a record company say." |
| 12:14 | Poor Hailee is typecast as the teen with daddy issues! |
| 19:03 | I want self-playing instruments! |
| 21:58 | "I actually think music is about ears not eyes." |
| 30:09 | Who has a ping pong table in their apartment? |
| 33:34 | Mr C gets excited at the name of the studio. I'm so not down with the artists. |
| 35:02 | James Corden is also aware of the studio. |
| 35:33 | "I have whiskey or... water." |
| 50:39 | Oh no, he abandoned the ballet girls! |
| 50:51 | I hope James doesn't have neighbours. That's a pretty full on setup they've got. |
| 51:51 | Rappers appear to be coming out of the woodwork. Literally. |
| 56:37 | He's hired the children! Proper record exec can do a deal with anyone. |
| 1:05:45 | "You can tell a lot about a person by what's on their playlist." |
| 1:12:54 | Love the concept but I don't think voicemail boxes are long enough for a whole song. _(After further research, voicemail allows three minutes, and having bought the soundtrack, the song is 2:27. I take it back!)_ |
| 1:14:45 | Kazoo interlude. |
| 1:22:14 | Don't go on the wagon with Pepsi! Coke Zero all the way. |
| 1:23:09 | Brilliant game. Like the opposite of musical statues. |
| 1:25:24 | That beard really does look awful. |
| 1:33:47 | "Why do you get 9 out of my 10 dollars?" |
| 1:34:28 | Paris! DRINK! |
Thoughts
Didn't know too much about this one going in, except the cast just seemed totally intriguing. Ruffalo and Knightley, plus bonus Adam Levine? Sounds good!
And it was. It was beautiful. Moving and well crafted, miserable and joyous at the same time, predictable but refreshingly new. The blurb describes it as a comedy, which I wouldn't necessarily agree with, it was more of a drama with plenty of music and singing involved. Mr C loved eyeing up all the music production side of things, and I mostly just enjoyed the simplicity of it all. Lovely film.
The only thing I didn't really like was Keira's choice of short trousers and clumpy shoes. I'm no fashionista but that's not a look I can get on board with.
Rating: 5 / 5
