Movie · 2014 · Comedy, Music, Romance, Drama · 1h 44m · R · English
Curator score: 5.3/10 (433.8K ratings)
You're only as strong as your next move.
Overview
Gretta, a budding songwriter, finds herself alone after her boyfriend Dave ditches her. Her life gains purpose when Dan, a record label executive, notices her talent.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.3/10
IMDb: 7.4/10
Letterboxd: 3.55/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Metacritic: 62
TMDB: 7.2/10
Director
John Carney
Production
Likely Story, Exclusive Media, Sycamore Pictures, Apatow Productions, Black Label Media
Cast
Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, James Corden, Yasiin Bey, Aya Cash, Maddie Corman, Karen Pittman, Paul Romero, Andrew Sellon, Ed Renninger, Eric Burton, Marco Assante, Mary Catherine Garrison, Jen Jacob, Rob Morrow, Jennifer Li Jackson, Ian Brodsky
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A warm, low-key music romance with real New York texture, appealing chemistry, and a strong sense of creative renewal. It’s uneven in places and the romantic subplot divides viewers, but the songwriting premise and street-level performances make it easy to recommend.
Best for
fans of intimate music dramas
viewers who like bittersweet city-set romances
people drawn to creative-process stories
audiences who enjoy relaxed, character-driven films
Skip if
you want a tightly plotted romance
you’re allergic to earnest indie sentiment
you need powerhouse vocal performances
you dislike movies that linger on mood over momentum
Overview
Begin Again is at its best when it treats songwriting as a form of emotional repair. The film has a loose, conversational rhythm that lets the city, the music, and the characters’ bruised optimism do most of the work. It feels small by design, but that modesty is part of the appeal.
Worth noting
Mark Ruffalo gives the movie its scruffy warmth, and Keira Knightley brings a fragile, offhand charm that suits the material. Their scenes together are the heart of the film: collaborative, funny, and quietly romantic without forcing the issue. The songs are catchy enough to sell the fantasy of making art out of heartbreak.
Bottom line
The movie is less convincing when it leans into the more conventional relationship material, and some viewers will wish it trusted the music-friendship dynamic even more. Still, as a feel-good story about starting over in a city that never stops moving, it lands with sincerity and enough style to stick.
Top Letterboxd reviews
megan (3★) · 4132 likes
i want to punch adam levine in the face
Marian (3★) · 3809 likes
keira knightley can't be all the things that she is and also be good at singing i am so mad at this bitch
Jack (5★) · 3439 likes
fuck your perfect curly hair, mark ruffalo.
🌻 lindsay 🌻 (3★) · 2456 likes
I wish it had cut out the entire adam levine romance subplot and just gave me 90 minutes of keira knightley and mark ruffalo being cute music friends making an album together
Jacob 🤭 (4★) · 1495 likes
Maybe I am petty, but I ALMOST lowered this to a 3.5 because James Corden was in this. Why was James Corden in this? I forgot he was in this. 😭 That opening scene was legit a jump scare.
For its mix of emotional reset, indie sensibility, and soundtrack-driven mood, even if it’s more detached and ironic.
Topics
music drama, romantic comedy-drama, indie sensibility, New York City, breakup recovery, songwriting, creative process, feel-good, bittersweet, relationship dynamics