2007 / John Carney > It’s nearly impossible not to like Once, but mileage will vary in how much it’ll be appreciated. As a musical, it works on levels not typical in film: The honest folk/rock of star Glen Hansard is always heartfelt, always fresh. It lacks the silly glamour that tends to persist in the genre and instead fills it with the kind of realism that many can identify with. Carney takes into account the awkwardness of loneliness and spins it into a sort of underhanded morality tale about where love ends and begins. It is, however, a little esoteric in its approach and fails to give me the kind of foothold I was looking for. Either way, the chemistry between Hansard and Marketa Irglova is so natural and charming, it becomes an easy watch.