Mark Ruffalo is a man of many talents, having accrued three Academy Award nominations, two Emmy wins and a Golden Globe during a long and illustrious career that’s seen him lend his hand to almost every imaginable genre, including a recurring role as a superhero in history’s most commercially successful franchise.
Even then, a musical romantic comedy drama marked uncharted territory for the actor when he partnered up with Keira Knightley to headline 2013’s Begin Again, although it proved to be yet another winning endeavor. The plot follows Knightley’s Gretta and her songwriting partner Dave, played by Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, who head to New York when he lands a major record deal.
Once there, Gretta feels isolated and abandoned until she meets Ruffalo’s fallen music executive Dan, who gives her a gig performing at his club. Naturally, a bond forms and sparks fly as the duo put their heads together and begin putting the aspiring singer’s first album together.
Begin Again was a decent-sized hit with critics and at the box office, bringing in $65 million on an $8 million budget, securing a Rotten Tomatoes score of 83% and an Oscar nod for Best Original Song in the process. It’s now available to stream on Netflix, where it could play well if subscribers sit back, relax and enjoy some harmless and frothy entertainment.
