If I told me you could make an amazing heartfelt movie using two of the judges from “The Voice” would you believe me? What if I told you one of them was Cee-Lo.
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“Begin Again” stars Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo in a musical drama about two lost souls who find themselves intersecting at what could be just the right moment. It’s directed by John Carney, and if the name doesn’t sound familiar he’s the director that brought us “Once”, another heartfelt musical drama, and of course best selling soundtrack. So is there as much magic here as there was “Once” long ago? Yeah, I think there is.
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First of all, I love the way this movie was structured. I’m a bit of a softie for movies that play with the timeline and “Begin Again” does it beautifully. Using the moments in these characters lives at exactly the point in the story where we need to understand them, which makes for a very engaging and emotionally resonant journey. It also allows him to bring a real joy to these friendships despite some of the difficulties they are going through. I loved that this movie seems to perfectly balance that joy and pain of truly caring about another human. Of course that’s all moot if we don’t buy into the characters themselves but thankfully we have Knightley and Ruffalo to carry us through and they are both hitting every note in every chord. Ruffalo is incredibly vulnerable as this crashing music producer down on his luck and Keira is stunningly radiant on screen as the musical ingenue just wanting to create art. And the two of them work incredibly well together. Of course, I think they are given some great material to work with as well with some of the most clever and intelligent dialogue I’ve heard in a while. Plus, and this is my favorite thing, there are several moments in this movie where characters aren’t saying any words but the meaning and depth of what’s being communicated is crystal clear. I love that. It’s a form of mind reading that only happens when you can be this connected to the characters and gives the audience credit enough to not have to have it spelled out for us. And that’s not the only chance taking that I think paid off for Carney. I also really loved the chances he took with the way this movie concludes. Allowing the movie to speak very clearly yet uniquely about the different forms that a “second chance” can take in someone’s life.
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If there’s one weak spot in the movie it’s probably in the casting of Adam Levine as one of the lead roles. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not awful, by any stretch, but compared to the work being done around him, his role just feels pedestrian and even a bit monotone. Of course, as soon as he has a mic in his hand and he’s belting out the falsetto melismas of a rock God, he’s as comfy and on point as all get out, but when he’s asked to be in the drama everything just goes a bit flat.
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Overall though, “Begin Again” is a fine return to musical drama for Carney. His creative and joyful storytelling through words, melodies, and even unspoken conversations allows for incredible performances from Knightly and Ruffalo. Even if Adam Levine can’t quite hit the acting high notes like the musical ones, the movie holds it’s own melody at an A-
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