The film explores how other options could've come into play, but you still have to deal with it and you don't have to stay stuck in the heartache. The exploration of that theme is fascinating and handled really well here.

Full Review | Original Score: A | Aug 19, 2024

A variation of A Star is Born... But an optimist, kind, luminous and magical [take] led by a marvelous, sentimental humanist fable about second chances. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 27, 2022

In a perfect world, Begin Again would have been up for Best Picture and more.

Full Review | Aug 17, 2021

Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo come together to make an al fresco album in this charming film.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 15, 2021

Is as much about the love of music and it's ability to heal as it is about the various relationships it essays.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 1, 2021

What makes it special is that it's not another romance about finding a man. It's about finding your people, about being a bit lost in your twenties.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 2, 2020

If you go in viewing this as a kind-of cinematic open mic night, you may just have a rockin' time.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 2, 2020

Begin Again begins like a lot of movies about musicians, but because it comes from John Carney, it isn't ordinary for long.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Jul 2, 2020

Begin Again a cure for the summertime movie blues.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Jul 2, 2020

Plays like a studio remake of Once, retaining some of the ideas and the heart but bogging them down with clumsy filmmaking and bad choices.

Full Review | Oct 31, 2019

While we've seen Ruffalo in 'down on his luck' mode plenty of times, he carries the film with a warm and engaging performance.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 30, 2019

Though there are a few faultless moments, Begin Again's flaw lies in the fact that there's not nearly enough narrative for the runtime; it's more musical montage than movie.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 15, 2019

Not terrible but extremely average.

Full Review | Original Score: C | May 2, 2019

It ultimately passes the authenticity test with flying colors, however, due to strong, heartfelt performances and well-written tunes that dovetail perfectly into and out of Carney's script.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5/10 | Apr 1, 2019

They have good chemistry, and you really come to like the characters. Knightley shows that she's a decent singer too.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Feb 1, 2019

It's a friendly little indie displaying some fine performances and a clever storytelling style, even if its musical tastes are far more conventional than they should be for the characters.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jan 12, 2019

The film isn't perfect and it certainly isn't wrapped up in a tight little bow, but all in all, it's a captivating film.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Nov 3, 2018

Everyone in this movie seems to be a little bit in love, and never more so than when they're recording on a rooftop in the city, going gorgeously against the grain of how things are supposedly supposed to be done.

Full Review | Aug 28, 2018

The story captures you from the opening scene.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Aug 21, 2018

... the scene in the bar, which is heard from two different perspectives, is remarkable. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 6.5/10 | Dec 13, 2017