Once

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Upon A Time … a big movie company spent $175 million dollars to make a movie called Evan Almighty. An earlier film, Bruce Almighty, was made for only $81 million. Bruce grossed $459 million dollars, worldwide, while Evan, a crass attempt to cash in on the God-visits-earth premise has brought in a little more than half of it’s budget and is sinking fast. What does all of this have to do with this weeks movie review? Well, I’d like you to go see a little film that cost only one-hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars to make, and see what Hollywood continues to miss out on … good stories. Once,

Carney, a musician/filmmaker had always wanted to make a film that, while not a traditional musical, would still use a number of songs to tell a very modern, very simple, love story. Once succeeds wildly in this with music that speaks everything about the characters without overwhelming the film with dialogue or inane action.

While the film’s musical score credits the great tradition of Irish music, just as enjoyable are the performances by Hansard and Irglova. Hansard’s sole previous acting gig was a part in The Commitments, an Irish music import from 1991. Marketa Irglova was only seventeen at the time of filming and had no previous acting experience. Both of these people are so relaxed and real on the screen you begin to feel like you’re in your home and these two have stopped by for the evening to entertain you.

Most apparent is the immediate sense that these folks had no production budget at all. The camera shakes a bit because it‘s probably hand-held through most of the film. There are no grand scenic moments or car chases. The lighting tends to be a bit off and much of it is natural. There is really only one difficult shot, and it’s the very last shot in the film; like they saved their Euros for one great last moment. All of this leaves you with a sense that none of the Hollywood production stuff is needed to tell a good story. To date this inexpensive little film has grossed over $5 million dollars in the United States an Irish import written/directed by John Carney, is the love story of two kindred spirits who cross paths on the busy streets of Dublin. Glen Hansard (who in real life is lead singer of The Frames) is a street musician who lacks the confidence to perform his own songs. Marketa Irglova (a Czechoslovakian pianist) plays a young immigrant mother. As their lives intertwine as they discover each other's talents and push one another to realize what each had only dreamt about.