Begin Again (2014)

A record executive (Mark Ruffalo) who has seen better days and is now drunk most of the time discovers a young singer (Keira Knightley) and convinces her to let him produce a record with her. I disliked John Carney's criminally overpraised ONCE so intensely that I've avoided his films. The reviews for this one were very good and I like Ruffalo and Knightley but I still wasn't convinced. However, some people whose opinion I respect prodded me and so I'm catching up with it just now. Well, I loved it! Charming seems like an overused word when describing movies but I can't think of a better one in this case except maybe exhilarating. It's a dreamy movie romance yet the film's two protagonists never so much as kiss or declare their feelings toward each other. In fact, the movie doesn't even end the way we expect (or want) it to. The songs (mostly written by Gregg Alexander with various lyricists) are quite good and while Adam Levine is a singer, Knightley surprised me with her graceful vocals. A film full of intimate touches and an observant eye on relationships. With James Corden, Catherine Keener, Hailee Steinfeld, Yasiin Bey and CeeLo Green.