Once (2006)

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:

Bus | Dublin Ireland | Vulgarity | Estranged Husband | Flower Seller

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 14 wins & 17 nominations

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
Krzysztof Tiotka	...	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:

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

Filming Locations:

Dublin Airport, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Bórd Scannán na hÉireann

Trivia:

Both Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová have stated that they're unlikely to ever act again and will concentrate on music.

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:

Referenced in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: The Best of 2007" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Leave

Once will give you a unique experience and realism that we normally don't get out of Hollywood

(My Synopsis) A Guy (with no name - Glen Hansard of the Irish band Frames) is singing his heart out on the streets of Dublin for tip money. One day a Czech Girl (with no name - Marketa Irglova) stops to listen to the Guy play his music. She is very impressed by his songs and she asks if he wrote his own music. The Guy says that he writes and loves to play his own songs to himself even if the street crowd wants to hear other music. It is nice to earn tips, but that is not what his music is all about. The Guy lives at home and helps his father repair vacuum cleaners, but he has a dream of becoming a recording star. His girlfriend of many years has just left him and is now living in London. You can tell what this has done to his emotions, because it is being reflected in his new songs. The Girl who happens to have a broken vacuum cleaner also has a musical background of playing the piano and writing songs. Their music brings them together and the Girl begins to help the Guy realize his dream. They begin to share their music and their feeling for each other. They put together a band with other street players and rent a recording studio for the weekend to record two demos. This could be the start of a new and wonderful life.

(My Comment) The storyline is almost like a reality TV show. The people are not actors, and they are naturally doing things in their lives that they just want to do. This is not your typical Hollywood movie as to the ending and especially the costs. The writer/director John Carney made the film in 17 days for an unbelievable $130,000. John Carney did not have the expensive steady cam cameras, but he used hand held cameras with telephoto lens so he wouldn't have to get a permit to film in Dublin. You will notice the movement of the pictures and hopefully it will not give you motion sickness, because it gives the film a raw feeling which in turn makes it feel real to the audience. Hansard and Irglova are charming together and very supportive of each other. All three people were at the screening that I attended, and they had a Q&A session and sang 4 songs after the movie. The three have been friends for many years. That is why I said that the movie is like a reality TV show, where friends got together to make music. Hearing them perform live after the movie, I recognize that it was the same performance that I saw on the screen. Now as for the music, personally, I liked some of the songs, but most of the music was not the type of music that I would listen to on the radio. Overall the film will give you a unique experience and realism that we normally don't get out of Hollywood. (Fox Searchlight, Run time 1:25, Rated R) (7/10)