The Bottom Line
Once is a charming, low-budget, low-keyed, intimate, unpretentious indie film set in contemporary Dublin. The plot centers on the relationship that develops between a pair of musicians. The acting style is naturalistic, and folk pop numbers are seamlessly integrated into the story. The film is poignant, and the ending is bittersweet. The DVD has a feature-length audio commentary by the filmmaker and the two lead actor-musicians, and these same three people supply separate commentary on the movie's 13 musical numbers.
In addition, the DVD contains two featurettes.
Pros
- Good naturalistic acting and well-integrated musical numbers
- Charismatic lead actors with good screen chemistry
- Charming Dublin locations
Cons
- Small budget and unknown actors
- No production or dance numbers
- Movie too low-keyed for some viewers
Description
- DVD containing musical Once (2006)
- DVD has feature-length audio commentary by the filmmaker and the 2 lead actor-musicians
- DVD provides separate commentary by the same 3 commentators on the film's 13 musical numbers
- DVD contains 2 featurettes with total runtime of 22 min.
- Feature film runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes
- MPAA rating: R for language
- DVD release date: December 18, 2007
Guide Review - Once DVD Review
Once is a charming, low-budget, low-keyed, intimate, unpretentious indie film set in contemporary Dublin. The wispy plot centers on the bond that develops between a pair of musicians: he's a guitarist, she's a pianist, and both are vocalists. The acting style is naturalistic, and folk pop numbers are seamlessly integrated into the story.
The film is poignant, and the ending is bittersweet.
The movie's two main characters are not given names, and they are listed in the credits as Guy and Girl. The Guy is played by Glen Hansard of the Irish band The Frames, and he was also in The Commitments. The Girl is fresh-faced Markéta Irglová, a classically trained pianist originally from the Czech Republic. Once's writer-director was John Carney, who was formerly the bassist in The Frames.
The DVD provides a feature-length running audio commentary by writer-director John Carney and actor-musicians Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. These same three commentators also supply separate audio commentary for each of the film's 13 musical numbers. In addition, the DVD contains a 12-minute making-of featurette, as well as a nine-minute featurette on the Guy, the Girl and their relationship.