Begin Again – Movie Review

Begin Again is a musical comedy-drama which was released in Australia in June 2014.

The movie is set in Manhattan, New York, and has a clichéd ‘boy-meets-girl’ scenario.

Mark Ruffalo plays the role of Dan Mulligan, a recently fired record label executive who stumbles across Gretta (played by Keira Knightley), as she performs live music at a small local bar.

Gretta is going through a rough breakup from her long term boyfriend who is played by Maroon 5’s lead singer, Adam Levine. As a result of her heartbreak, her live performance on stage comes across average and most people in the bar do not pay attention to her music…except Dan Mulligan.

Mulligan imagines a set of drums, a cello and piano accompanying her as she sings and strums her acoustic guitar. After seeing her potential, Mulligan offers to collaborate and create music with her – a chance to reignite both of their musical passions.

The beginning of the film was a little confusing. The use of flashbacks of the characters’ lives was a creative idea, however, I feel like it could have been done better so that it is clear to the audience when they are seeing the flashback.

I can see what the director was aiming for, but I think some of the flashbacks were unnecessary and could have been prevented if specific parts of the story were told sooner (as they were still important for the story). Thankfully, the flashbacks only occurred at the beginning of the film.

However, the cinematography was executed well, with good lighting and exciting visuals.

The film was written and directed by John Carney (former bass player of Irish rock band, The Frames) and it was bound to include inspiring music which would captivate the audience. During this film I found myself tapping my feet to the music they play which they call ‘The Soundtrack of New York’. It is produced outside in the streets of New York with people who Mulligan knew from his previous career, and anyone else from the street interested in making music with them.

I liked how the audience can watch both Dan and Gretta mature as they deal with their own problems, develop as people, and see their friendship blossom as they learn more about each other. The director has done well with building the relationship between the viewer and the characters. I think this is important in order to generate emotion and have a real connection. There was a positive atmosphere in the audience as they found happiness in one another and connected through their mutual love of music (I even found myself grinning in the party scene after the album is recorded). 

I rate Begin Again 3 out of 5 stars.

 Written by Alison Hattley