‘Begin’ falters on false notes
In 2006, director John Carney seduced audiences with his tiny, unabashedly heartfelt indie romance “Once.” His bigger, slicker followup, “Begin Again,” hits many of the same notes, but to more discordant effect.
“Once” connected with viewers because of its rare, urgent authenticity. The movie starred unknowns (Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová) actually living their movie’s story. They were struggling artists who fell in love, while balancing professional ambition and personal integrity.
“Begin Again” is about characters grappling with similar issues. This time they’re played by Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo, two celebrities who seem randomly thrown together. And their story feels less sincere than constructed, purposefully designed to revisit the success of “Once” without actually earning it.
Knightley does fine work, but she’s been miscast. Her innate sophistication undermines the movie’s intentions right off the bat. We never believe her as Greta, a naive singer-songwriter who moves to New York with her musician boyfriend (Adam Levine). He hits it big and dumps her almost immediately, leaving Greta broke and moping around the city until she’s discovered by record executive Dan (Ruffalo).
Though full of promises, Dan has some problems of his own. His wife (Catherine Keener) has kicked him out, his business partner (Mos Def) has fired him from the label they founded, and Dan’s still spending all his money on the booze that got him in trouble in the first place. He sees redemption in Greta, a musician as high-minded as she is talented.
Ruffalo exudes the affably ragged vibe Carney apparently wants for the whole movie. There are some nicely low-key supporting turns from Keener, Mos Def and Hailee Steinfeld as Dan’s daughter. Knightley, who sings sweetly but can’t hide her polish, seems to be in another film altogether.
Carney occasionally approaches the earnest tunes and New York City setting in creative ways. Like when Dan spies Greta singing solo in a dingy bar and imagines an orchestrated arrangement around her.
Unfortunately, we can see the director meticulously arranging his movie, too, rather than allowing it to unfold organically. It’s certainly easy to understand why he’d want to retread familiar ground. But lightning rarely strikes in the same spot twice.