After a successful, crowd-pleasing run at the Toronto International Film Festival, the new music drama from Once director John Carney had a title change, moving from an awkward moniker to a rather generic one. Formerly known as Can a Song Save Your Life?, Begin Again is a more polished-looking, sunny-feeling film than Carney’s 2007 musical gem, which won an Oscar for its stirring love song, “Falling Slowly.”
The first trailer for Begin Again appeared online today and hopes to charm moviegoers up for another round of strong, low-key tunes from a variety of actors and musicians. Also, it features Adam Levine in a role as an egotistical singer, which probably fits within his range.
In the drama, set for a limited release on July 4th, Mark Ruffalo plays record executive Dan, who is fired from his New York label. He pins his hopes on aspiring musician Gretta (Keira Knightley), who has just broken off a romance to vocalist Dave (Adam Levine). Dan hopes to start anew with Gretta, helping her record songs that have what it takes to be major hits. Hailee Steinfeld also makes an appearance as Dan’s daughter, while Catherine Keener, Mos Def and Cee-Lo Green round out the ensemble.
Although it would be foolish to expect Begin Again to boast the same soundtrack quality as Carney’s previous film, a wistful musical sounds like a good change of pace for a summer movie. If it is only half as lovely as Once, it should be well worth checking out.
