In Begin Again (2013) filmmaker John Carney wears his influences on his sleeve. A Star Is Born (any version) looms large over Begin Again as do films like High Fidelity (1999). Yet Begin Again is distinctly Carney’s film. It’s an allegedly semi-autobiographical celebration of the indie music scene. It is the natural progression from Once (2007); expanding the production but focusing in on intimate character portraits.
The thing that is unique about Begin Again is its soundtrack and the way that music is incorporated into the narrative. Music develops characters, moves the plot ahead, accompanies montages and even narrates what is happening on screen. Carney’s music is the heart of a film with a minimal plot. Any filmmaker could make Begin Again but only Carney could have made the music. It is the music that makes this film, not Mark Ruffalo or Keira Knightley.
Ruffalo in particular has little in the way of acting to do in Begin Again. Mostly he just reacts to music and dances around. His presence lends the film dramatic credibility but his work as an actor is not intrinsic to Carney’s vision. Anyone could have played Knightley and Ruffalo’s parts. In some instances, with regards to vocal performance, a different cast could have been nice.
Whether Begin Again works or not is a matter of the viewer’s taste in music. Carney clearly values indie rock more than pop. Pop is, in the context of the film, for emotionally bankrupt sell outs while indie rock is for artists. Even so, Carney’s brand of indie rock is a bit too poppy for my taste. I’d have preferred straight dance music or lo-fi minimalism to the polished sounds Carney revels in. The indie music of Begin Again is as dated as the men’s fashions.
The one truly genius stroke of Begin Again is casting Adam Levine as the shitty rock star boyfriend. Levine is a great villain for the piece. His music in the film, as in life, is the stuff of sell-outs. His shit eating grin and self-centered behavior hardly feels like a performance. It really feels like Levine is just playing himself un-ironically.
Begin Again is one of those movies that if it came out when I was in high school I might be a bit more forgiving and tolerant. But seeing Begin Again for the first time in middle age there’s nothing fun or romantic about the film. I’m too smart to fall for Carney’s idealized version of the music business and I’m too sick of Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born (2018) to cut Carney any slack. Begin Again is a poppy exercise in pretensions that holds few charms.
