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Once

Play trailer 2:05 Poster for Once R 2007 1h 26m Romance Musical Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
97% Tomatometer 160 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
A vacuum repairman (Glen Hansard) moonlights as a street musician and hopes for his big break. One day a Czech immigrant (Marketa Irglova), who earns a living selling flowers, approaches him with the news that she is also an aspiring singer-songwriter. The pair decide to collaborate, and the songs that they compose reflect the story of their blossoming love.
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Once

Once

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Critics Consensus

A charming, captivating tale of love and music, Once sets the standard for the modern musical. And with Dublin as its backdrop, Once is fun and fresh.

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Critics Reviews

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Steven D. Greydanus Decent Films 10/29/2008
A-
At once delicate and gritty, wistful and deeply satisfying. Go to Full Review
Christopher Orr The New Republic 09/18/2008
In an era when Hollywood has largely lost the ability to distinguish between romance and sex, Once is the rare film that recognizes that love is no less love for being held in check, it is merely a different kind of love. Go to Full Review
Mark Bourne Film.com 12/19/2007
Once doesn't plop its emotions on its characters' sleeves, and it trusts us enough to leave some of the best stuff unstated. In other words, it trusts us to know that half the music lies between the notes. Go to Full Review
Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Apr 25
3.5/4
One of the most satisfying movies I’ve seen all year. Go to Full Review
Daisy Leigh-Phippard Screen Queens 02/21/2022
In the end, they were both strangers guided by the kindness they showed one another. And I bet youve forgotten what resolution the camera quality is by the end credits. Go to Full Review
Robin Holabird Robin Holabird 08/11/2021
Effectively capturing the world of street musicians, writer-director John Carney hit gold in a story of talented artists seeking the big time in little venues. Wistful romance and memorable music proved flexible enough for a move from film to stage... Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Marco L @decatur555 1h Once is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen: small, simple and completely unforgettable. It does not need grand gestures or dramatic manipulation to be deeply moving. Its power comes from the relationship between the two protagonists, from the way they listen to each other, from the silences between them and, above all, from the music. The songs are not decoration; they are the emotional language of the film, the place where everything that cannot be said out loud finally appears. It is tender, sad, intimate and full of truth, with a naturalness that makes it feel almost as if we are watching real life rather than fiction. A perfect film in its own scale, full of heart, music and quiet beauty. An absolute wonder. See more Peter E. @MrAtoz Apr 12 This is a beautiful story about a women and a man who become deeply connected and experience their love for one other through music alone. See more keven q @kevenquinlan Feb 16 Good movie. Great Music. This is not unlike Prince's Purple Rain where it's a bunch of music and a story is loosely composed around it. The laugher is Glen talking about the movie before it was shot and that he wasn't sure he was gonna get the part? In a movie where you sing most of the music? Hahaha- that's some straight-up Hollywood/ L.A. BS if I ever heard it. What, were they gonna have someone lip-sync all of your lyrics? Silly. Anywho, it's a keeper just for the music. See more Nathan T @FieryRavens Dec 7 A rare perfect movie. One could say that ONCE in a lifetime a film like this comes along. Perfect music, a perfect story, and a perfect ending. I could go on and on about how much this movie, and the music, has meant to me and stayed with me. I love it so much! See more Pa T @RT37521722 Nov 13 Didn’t end the way most romances do, but a sweet little film See more PERCY B @P.BADINAGE Oct 30 These ratings make no sense. This movie was painful to watch. I did not make it all the way thru but whoever did deserves either an award or needs to get out more. Watching boring people is not something to do. See more Read all reviews
Once

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis A vacuum repairman (Glen Hansard) moonlights as a street musician and hopes for his big break. One day a Czech immigrant (Marketa Irglova), who earns a living selling flowers, approaches him with the news that she is also an aspiring singer-songwriter. The pair decide to collaborate, and the songs that they compose reflect the story of their blossoming love.
Director
John Carney
Producer
Martina Niland
Screenwriter
John Carney
Distributor
Fox
Production Co
RTE, Samson Films, Summit Entertainment, Irish Film Board
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Romance, Musical, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 16, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 19, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$9.4M
Runtime
1h 26m