Begin Again (2013)
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A struggling record executive and a fiercely independent songwriter team up to record an album in public locations across New York City.
The story
Dan Mulligan, a formerly successful record label executive in New York City, is struggling to keep up with the changing music industry after being fired in front of his daughter. While on a drinking binge, he encounters Gretta James, a fiercely independent songwriter from England who has recently broken up with her longtime boyfriend and songwriting partner. Captivated by her music, Dan offers to sign her to his former record label. When his business partner refuses to see her potential, Dan proposes they produce their own album together, to be recorded live during the summer at various public locations around the city.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Dan Mulligan, a struggling record executive in New York City, meets Gretta James, an independent songwriter from England. After Dan's business partner rejects her, Dan proposes they record an album live in public locations across the city. They recruit a team of musicians, including a busker named Steve, and Gretta takes Dan's daughter, Violet, under her wing to play on the album. During the process, Dan and Gretta bond personally and professionally. Gretta eventually confronts her ex-boyfriend, Dave, who has commercialized a song she wrote for him, 'Lost Stars.' After a period of reflection and a visit to one of Dave's concerts, Gretta finds closure. When her album is finished, she and Dan convince Dan's business partner, Saul, to sign her. Gretta eventually decides she wants to distribute the album online for $1 rather than through the label. Dan helps her promote the release, which sells 10,000 copies on its first day.
- Original title
- Can a Song Save Your Life?
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Carney
- Writers
- John Carney · writer; John Carney · director
- Cast and characters
- Keira Knightley · Gretta James; Mark Ruffalo · Dan Mulligan; Hailee Steinfeld · Violet; Adam Levine · Dave; James Corden · Steve; Yasiin Bey; CeeLo Green; Catherine Keener
- Genres
- musical; comedy; drama
- Themes
- artistic integrity; collaboration; music industry; personal growth
- Tone and mood
- romantic; musical; enchanting
- Premise and plot tags
- music; road movie; independent; drama
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the chemistry between the leads and the musical score, though some critics found the story contrived.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 83% · review count: 170; Metacritic · score: 62 · scale: 100 · review count: 39
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Song · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film's title was changed from Can a Song Save Your Life? to Begin Again because viewers found it difficult to remember.; Adam Levine declined to be paid for appearing in the film.; Carney considered casting Adele or Scarlett Johansson in the lead role.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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