Begin Again

Mark Ruffalo's character Dan makes an interesting point about the place music has in our lives. He says that music gives the banality of everyday life more energy. I feel as though this is overall theme of John Carney's Begin Again, to make life more vivid and enjoyable, and he has constructed a beautiful movie to convey those thoughts.

Dan (Ruffalo) is a down on his luck record producer. He has been moving from failure to failure and it's pretty safe to say that he is an alcoholic. Everything changes when he meets Gretta (Keira Knightley), a young singer-songwriter who has come to New York. After listening to her perform he knows that he wants to make an album with her.

This movie is a love letter to music. It really shows the power it has to lift you up when you're down or bring people together. All the music is perfectly co-written by Gregg Alexander (of the 90s band and one of my favourites the New Radicals) and is performed well by the cast.

Ruffalo gives a fantastic performance as Dan and I think he plays the role of dishevelled guy a little too well. Likewise, Knightley is fantastic and displays an amazing vocal talent. Supporting roles from Catherine Keener, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld and Cee Lo Green are enjoyable.

Carney knows how to craft a movie both when it comes to the script and direction. The film is filled with light and poignant moments with a fair few pop culture references thrown in. He does a decent job at making shots that are evocative, but the real joy came for me with the editing. The use of jump cuts was great and makes some of the scenes pop, especially when they were recording songs in the streets of New York.

Verdict: A feel good movie that is perfect if you love music.