Words And Music (Film Review: Begin Again)

I find that there has been a dearth of films for adults this summer so far so I was excited to go see "Begin Again." Plus, it's an extra bonus that the film was written and directed by John Carney, who was responsible for "Once."  "Begin Again" has that film's charm, although this one is not as small. It has a fairly starred cast headed by Mark Ruffalo and Kiea Knightley. It even has pop superstar Adam Levine in it, so that's sure to attract attention. (A group of young girls seated behind me would sigh whenever he appeared on screen. The film has a pretty basic story of people finding each other, and making music in the process. The storyline borders on sap, but never crosses the line to treacly. This film's main song, "Lost Souls" has a chorus that gets repeated over and over, not unlike what Carney did with "Falling Slowly" from "Once."  What make you believe here is the great chemistry of the actors. Mark Ruffalo is great as a hot mess producer (does he ever give a bad performance?) and Keira Knightley exudes charisma and sex appeal as a singer-songwriter who is dumped by her singer boyfriend (Adam Levine) once he got famous. Levine doesn't really get to do much but look pretty, but for what he is given he is fine. Tony winner James Cordell provides some fun spots.  I loved the fact that the music permeates throughout the entire film. While the songs do not necessarily forward the plot for this to be considered a musical, they complement and add flavour to the story. (If this was a play it would be a play with music)  I found myself touched, and entranced by these characters, and found it a great cooler on a hot summer's day.