Once (2006)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

John Carney

Writer:

John Carney (writer)

Release Date:

23 March 2007 (Ireland)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

How often do you find the right person?

Plot:

A modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Song | Singing | Immigrant | London

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 14 wins & 18 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 20

5:00 AM

MAX

Cast

Glen Hansard	...	Guy
Markéta Irglová	...	Girl (as Marketa Irglova)
Hugh Walsh	...	Timmy Drummer
Gerard Hendrick	...	Lead Guitarist (as Gerry Hendrick)
Alaistair Foley	...	Bassist
Geoff Minogue	...	Eamon
Bill Hodnett	...	Guy's Dad
Danuse Ktrestova	...	Girl's Mother
Darren Healy	...	Heroin Addict
Mal Whyte	...	Bill
Marcella Plunkett	...	Ex Girlfriend
Niall Cleary	...	Bob
Wiltold Owski	...	Man watching TV
Krzysztos Tlotka	...	Man watching TV
Tomek Glowacki	...	Man watching TV

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

Ireland

Language:

English | Czech

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Ireland:15A | USA:R | UK:15 | Germany:o.Al. | South Korea:All | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:NC-16 | Czech Republic:U | New Zealand:M | Hong Kong:IIB | Brazil:12 | Sweden:Btl | Finland:S | Malaysia:U

Filming Locations:

Dublin Airport, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Bórd Scannán na hÉireann

Trivia:

During the filming of the opening scene, because the scene was shot with long lenses placing the crew far away, and without informing the public, who would be crossing through the scene, a bystander attempting to be a hero accidentally injured the thief as he was running away by kneeing him in the groin.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the montage towards the end of the film, when the Girl is playing her new piano, the Girl's mother is cooking and stirring something on the stove-top. However, if you look closely, there is nothing in the pan. The mother is stirring the air with a spatula to appear as if she's cooking something.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Heroin Addict: Fuckin' deadly you are, man.
Guy: Don't fucking... don't fucking go near that case.
Heroin Addict: What? I'm just tying me laces, man.

Movie Connections:

References Casablanca (1942)

Soundtrack:

Gold

Music Music Music Music

This is a wonderful, fun and touching movie. At a screening at Sundance 2007 the director described it as a musical, and it really is. The primary actors are musicians and their songs tie the movie together and tie you to them. Although the primary cast aren't actors as a first profession, they are very natural together and the film flows very well because of it. Everyone involved in this film has a great passion for music, and it is very infectious. It is one of the few films I have seen in 7 years at Sundance that received a standing ovation.

From the Sundance film guide: "A Dublin busker, who ekes out a living playing guitar and repairing vacuum cleaners for his dad's shop, meets a young Czech immigrant who sells roses on the same street. She likes his song, and what's more…she has a broken vacuum cleaner! They soon find themselves playing music together in a nearby music store (since she can't afford a piano, the owner lets her play his floor models). Over the course of a week, they form a musical rapport and, newly inspired, decide to record an album.

Once may loosely be classified as a musical, but it has a refreshing vérité inflection. Conceived by director John Carney as a "video album," it sports a scrappy, unembellished naturalism. Carney took a risk in choosing professional musicians over professional actors, but Glen Hansard (of the well-known Irish band the Frames) and Marketa Irglova (a Czech singer/songwriter) are not only remarkably charming together but they're equally adept with the more melancholy shades (Hansard's lonely soul, stuck on an old flame; Irglova struggling to support a mother and daughter). Burdened and brokenhearted, their musical bond is the heart of the film and of their love.

Great music aside, what makes this film special is how little effort it seems to exert. If it's possible to be blindsided by simplicity--a light touch, Once does it." — John Nein