Begin Again, written and directed by John Carney, is such a wonderful and inspiring movie for so many reasons.
Firstly, the concept itself is so original and inspiring. When I saw the trailer this summer, I was sure it was going to be yet another cheesy movie but luckily, it wasn't. Greta's (Keira Knightley) newly famous boyfriend and songwriting partner, Dave (Adam Levine) cheats on her with one of his producers while Dan (Mark Ruffalo) is a recently jobless record producer with his fair share of messes. Dan and Greta meet when her friend makes her perform one of her songs in a bar and Dan's mood is lifted. He offers her a record deal which she initially rejects. Eventually, however, they decide to make an entire album with other bored artists and record it all over New York. I loved the idea of recording it outdoors, all at once, without any editing, keeping the sounds of the city, that it really was all about the music.
Firstly, the concept itself is so original and inspiring. When I saw the trailer this summer, I was sure it was going to be yet another cheesy movie but luckily, it wasn't. Greta's (Keira Knightley) newly famous boyfriend and songwriting partner, Dave (Adam Levine) cheats on her with one of his producers while Dan (Mark Ruffalo) is a recently jobless record producer with his fair share of messes. Dan and Greta meet when her friend makes her perform one of her songs in a bar and Dan's mood is lifted. He offers her a record deal which she initially rejects. Eventually, however, they decide to make an entire album with other bored artists and record it all over New York. I loved the idea of recording it outdoors, all at once, without any editing, keeping the sounds of the city, that it really was all about the music.
Secondly, I can't get enough of the soundtrack. Keira Knightley's voice is beautiful, calm, and soothing, strong yet still relatively quiet -- she doesn't belt, for example. As for Adam Levine, his musical talent is a known fact. Furthermore, the songs are so catchy and make it impossible to not sing and dance along. However, they still manage to feel delicate and intricate without being in-your-face about it. The songs are kind of low-key, they aren't written to be hits, they just stay true to the songwriter. As Adam Levine's character seems to learn, that's just as good and even when people enjoy the pop remixed version, they'll still love the original, less in-your-face arrangement.
Thirdly, the aesthetics of the movie were lovely too. I've always loved New York but this movie amplified my love for it. In the film, Dan says the album will be kind of like an ode to the city, but so is the movie. All the shots are so beautiful, colourful and seem to capture New York so perfectly and effortlessly. The whole movie seemed to have a soft, pastel, low-key vibe, from Greta's clothing to the scenery.
Fourthly, the casting was perfect! I've been a Mark Ruffalo fan since 13 Going On 30 (I still ship it) and a Keira Knightley fan since Pirates of the Caribbean (also still ship it) and Love Actually. They're both so talented and while I know they do put effort into it, they always convince me they are their characters in a seemingly effortless way. The rest of the cast was also chosen very well but Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo seem like they were born to portray Greta and Dan. (Bonus points for having a special place in my heart)
Finally, (SPOILER ALERT) the end made me happy. Despite his efforts, Greta doesn't go back to Dave but Dan and his wife do find their way back to each other. With a bit of help from Greta, Dan revives his relationship with his daughter. Furthermore, despite a very possible record deal, Greta decides to put the album for sale online for $1 that will be evenly shared with the whole band. An incredibly famous rapper Dan discovered in his heyday tweets about the album to his followers (according to Dan the entire world) per Dan's request. As for Dave, it isn't confirmed, but my interpretation is that he realizes his fans love Greta's arrangement of the song she gave him just as much as -- maybe ever more than -- the poppy remixed version, which maybe leads to an epiphany: he's a a sellout.
All in all, I really enjoyed the movie and found it really inspiring as well as refreshing to watch a movie that's based on a love of music. I love the movie so much that I wanted to run around my city recording songs. I definitely recommend this movie!
All in all, I really enjoyed the movie and found it really inspiring as well as refreshing to watch a movie that's based on a love of music. I love the movie so much that I wanted to run around my city recording songs. I definitely recommend this movie!
Title is a lyric from Everything's Coming Up Roses - Keira Knightley
Have you seen this movie? What did you think?
