Anecdotal evidence seems to indicate people either love or hate English actress Keira Knightley. If there was ever a film you should set aside your reservations about her to see, it's this feelgood musical by Irish filmmaker John Carney, writer and director of critically acclaimed indie romance Once.
Begin Again is a charmer, with Knightley delivering a toned-down performance as the affable lead character, and the pleasant surprise that she's a rather lovely singer.
She plays singer/songwriter Gretta, who moves to New York with her on-the-verge-ofrock stardom musician boyfriend Dave (Maroon 5's Levine). It's not long before Gretta is heartbroken, an experience she sings about at an open mic night in a dingy NY bar.
It's here she meets equally lost Dan (Ruffalo), a barely functioning Grammy Award winning music producer whose career and personal life is at a low point. Dan becomes obsessed with recording Gretta's songs and, with the help of her friend Steve (played by a hilarious James Corden) and a few of Dan's old clients (including Cee Lo Green), they decide to record Gretta's gorgeous pop songs on the streets of Manhattan.
With a cast of recognisable names, Begin Again is a glossier, bigger version of the edgy, raw Once. It's filled with relationships that inspire music, but this time round the love affairs are mostly in the past and the music is a way for the characters to find themselves again.
