Rate this Movie 
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:35
Fresh:35
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.4/10
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.
Theatrical Release:May 18, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $9,199,193
Synopsis: The Irish romance ONCE may be a musical, but it is miles away from the traditional Hollywood idea of people bursting into song. Glen Hansard (frontman for indie rock band The Frames) plays the guy,... [More]
Starring: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Bill Hodnett, Danuse Ktrestova
Director: John Carney
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
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.
Top CriticOnce 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.
Top CriticForget everything you think you know about the movie musical, one of the more predictable genres. With Once, writer-director John Carney deconstructs it and reinvents it as something wholly new, inspired and alive.
Top CriticDon't miss Once. It has to be seen and heard to be believed and enjoyed.
Top CriticAre you looking for a little film you can make your own, an enchanting, unpretentious blend of music and romance you can watch forever? If you do, Once is about to come into your life and make it whole.
Top CriticTold with the simplicity of a Chaplin film (more than once I was reminded of City Lights), Once has the tentative and unpredictable amble of a chance encounter rather than the absolute and overdetermined structure of a Hollywood film.
Top CriticGiven [director] Carney's roughshod methods, Once never resembles a standard studio offering, which works much to its benefit. Between Carney's unadorned writing and his rustic directing approach, Once always remains grounded in reality.
Top CriticOne of the movie's pleasures is that it keeps us asking what sort of love story will Once become?
Top CriticThe captivating Irish musical romance Once will warm all but the stoniest hearts.
Top CriticStripped of just about all artifice and dazzle, shot on the cheap on city streets, this Sundance gem is wiser about artistic creation and the fickle ways of love than any song-and-dance spectacular you've recently encountered.
Top CriticEven the uninitiated will be hard-pressed to resist the movie's charms, from its likable leading players and its charming Dublin setting to its wistful take on modern love.
Top CriticThis indie musical is a bijou of a film that joins unaffected performances and a compelling soundtrack in a low-budget, documentary-style film that lets us watch two people fall in love to the mesmerizing soundtrack of the songs they create.
Top CriticOnce proves once and for all that imagination trumps big bucks.
Top CriticElegantly capturing the alchemy of songwriting -- not to mention the alchemy of fleeting romance -- it's a one-of-a-kind movie to enthrall musicians and listeners alike.
Top CriticSweet but never cloying, simple without being simplistic, delicate yet not at all precious, this is a film guaranteed to set your toes to tapping even as it plays a number on your heartstrings.
Top CriticA sweet, raw blessing of a film.
Top CriticThe most naturalistic and believable romantic musical you may ever see and hear.
Top Critic[A] wonderful film that is one of the year's best.
Top CriticThe songs don't advance the narrative lyrically so much as follow the two characters' uncertain relationship through the slow realization of their themes; in particular a scene in which they first jam together in the back room of a music store is a gem.
Top CriticIn its brief running time, writer-director John Carney does something both profound and unexpected: He reinvents the movie musical as a genre of swooning rock 'n' roll realism.
Top Critic
March 14, 2008:
Blarney! Ten Great Irish Movies
Today, Rotten Tomatoes digs deep and celebrates everyone's favorite fifth-century snake-banishing missionary with a list of some of Irish cinema's finest -- movies that capture... More...
February 27, 2008:
Our Favorite Moments From The 80th Academy Awards -- An Oscar Pictorial
We've selected some of our favorite moments from Hollywood's biggest night! Browse our gallery of gowns on the red carpet, winners onstage, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the... More...
January 09, 2008:
No Country for Old Men, Juno, There Will Be Blood Lead Critics' Choice Winners
In what seems destined to go down as one of the season's few strike-free awards shows, the Critics' Choice Awards were held on Monday. More...
December 17, 2007:
RT on DVD: The Simpsons, Stardust, and More!
This week the shelves are packed, and just in time for the holidays! Check out the long-awaited big-screen debut of Springfield's finest (The Simpsons Movie), Matthew Vaughn's... More...
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.
Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.
The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN.com |
GameSpy |
Comrade |
Arena |
FilePlanet |
GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox |
Planets |
Vaults |
VE3D |
CheatsCodesGuides |
GameStats |
GamerMetrics
AskMen.com |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Direct2Drive |
Green Pixels
IGN RSS Feeds
Comment
