I have terrible taste in movies. I usually can’t appreciate a good storyline, opting instead for CGI explosions, samurai with sharp swords, and high-school level male humor. (Some of my favorite movies are Band of Brothers, Seven Samurai, and Dodgeball. You figure it out.) It’s a curse, I know, and I’m not necessarily proud nor ashamed of it. I is what I is, and I’ve learned to embrace it as a quirky personality flaw rather than try and act like any of those Christopher Guest movies were interesting just to look cool.

So when my martial arts teacher told me about a “great movie with tons of music in it that I would really like” I was skeptical to say the least. Not that the movie wouldn’t be good by normal-people standards, just that I would probably hate it. However, my teacher has never really steered me wrong, and just about all of the recommendations for books, movies, and music he has given to me have paid off ten-fold. Given his track record I decided to check it out. The movie? “Once.” The verdict? Let’s find out…

“Guy” Meets “Girl”

"Guy" and "Girl"

Once is the story of an Irish vacuum repairman-cum-busker — “Guy” (played by Glen Hansard of The Frames) — who spends his lunch breaks playing his songs on the streets of Dublin. One day, “Girl” stops to listen to his emotionally-fueled songs and is intrigued. A conversation ensues, and when she finds out that he is also a vacuum repairman, she asks to bring her vacuum to his shop to be fixed.

After some small talk, Girl reveals that she is also a musician, which prompts Guy to ask her to play for him. They go to a music store where she starts to play — very well, of course. His interest piqued, Guy starts to show her one of the songs he wrote (“Falling Slowly”). She immediately picks up on the song and provides some vocal harmonies. As predicted, musical magic is made and we’re off to the races.

Yes, There is a Plot

There is a lot of romantic subtext running throughout the film that helps to make the movie interesting and not High School Musical 3. The story is very well put-together, the characters are flawed and endearing, and the slight twist to the ending makes for a relateable, and loveable, film.

What I absolutely love the most about the movie is that the movie is a vehicle for the songs. Whereas most movies have soundtracks to complement the visuals, “Once” really is all about the music, and the music is great.

More Than Just a Movie

I won’t spoil it for you, but there is an even more interesting twist to the movie that involves real life and not the movie itself. I’ll leave it to you all to find out what it is; it’s quite cool!