John Carney mines familiar territory in his latest feature, the comedy-drama Begin Again, starring Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley. The writer and director of Once (2006) traverses the pond to return to the music world, this time substituting Dublin for a romanticized version of New York City. It’s difficult not to compare Carney’s two films as they both revolve around struggling singer-songwriters; while there are numerous differences, there is one considerable distinction. The rawness, grit and energy of the city, music and the performances, which were organic to Once, are a little more forced in the latter film.
Ruffalo’s character, Dan, a washed-up record producer, starts off as a Llewyn Davis rehash. He’s a disheveled mess who’s separated from his wife (Catherine Keener) and emotionally estranged from his teenaged daughter (Hailee Steinfeld). His day gets a lot worse when he’s fired from his own record label by his partner, Saul (Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def), for not discovering any new talent in years.
In the midst of a bender, Dan stumbles into an East Village bar during an open mic night. Gretta (Knightley) has reluctantly been ushered onstage by her friend, Steve (James Corden), to perform one of her latest songs. No one’s really paying any attention, except Dan, who hears magic. Carney adds a bit of animation that’s a little corny and distracting in this scene: The instruments around Knightley come to life as Ruffalo’s fleshes the song out in his head with a full band. It’s an unnecessary trick because Ruffalo is such a good actor he doesn’t need the visual aids.
Still drunk, Dan introduces himself to Gretta as a record producer, and she’s smartly wary at first. She’s about to return to England anyway, leaving her broken heart behind. Gretta’s tale, told in flashback, is a familiar one: Her long-time boyfriend and songwriting partner Dave (Maroon 5’s Adam Levine) was offered a lucrative record deal in New York, and they were put up in luxury. Soon thereafter, however, he gives into the rock lifestyle and strays.
Gretta takes Dan up on his offer to produce her record so she can focus on something other than Dave. With the help of an old client, Troublegum (the always-entertaining Cee-lo Green), he assembles a motley band of musicians to record Gretta’s album—guerrilla style—on the streets of New York, from under bridges to alleys to high-rise rooftops. Dan and Gretta capture the soundtrack of the summer in New York while rebuilding their lives together through their music. The film picks up the energy in the street scenes, becoming a fun-loving homage to the city.
The performances in the film are first-rate, but many of the supporting characters border on one-dimensional. Bey is limited to his role as the “bad music exec,” and Keener doesn’t nearly have enough to do, relegated to the background. Levine’s visual transformation onscreen is fun to watch, from a small-town boy to a douchey hipster musician (complete with a ridiculous beard). He does a decent job in his debut role, but doesn’t have to stretch far to relate to pop star Dave.