Once (2007) Critic Reviews

Its low-key affect and decidedly human scale endow Once with an easy, lovable charm that a flashier production could never have achieved. The formula is simple: two people, a few instruments, 88 minutes and not a single false note.Read the full review

Even the uninitiated will be hard-pressed to resist the movie's charms, from its likable leading players and its charming Dublin setting to its wistful take on modern love.Read the full review

Once is a film for anyone who has ever been transported by the power and passion of music.Read the full review

Winningly unpretentious tale uses a wispy romantic narrative as a vehicle for attractive original tunes.Read the full review

This isn't a perfect motion picture but, in the midst of summer's vapid pursuit of spectacle, a movie that provides real heart and emotion is a rare find.Read the full review

The film has enormous charm and zero pretense.Read the full review

Once proves to be as smart and funny as it is sweet; it swirls with ambiguity and conflict beneath a simple surface. In all of 88 minutes, Mr. Carney's singular fable follows its guy and girl through a week of musical and emotional growth that could suffice for a lifetime.Read the full review

The music is so rich and completely satisfying and the characters so appealing Once makes us believe that this is all happening right in front of our eyes. We fall for each of these young people at the precise moment they are falling for each other, and what could be better than that?Read the full review

In its own subdued, mellow way, Once is just about perfect.Read the full review