I saw Begin Again at last year’s Toronto Film Festival when it was called Can a Song Save Your Life? and while some enjoyed it, I pretty much hated it, calling it “a soap opera-level melodrama that takes everything good writer/director John Carney achieved with Once seven years ago and flushes it down the toilet.” Of course, the Weinstein Co. would disagree, having paid $7 million for distribution rights with a promise to spend $20 million to market it. Their plot synopsis goes like this:
Begin Again is a soul-stirring comedy about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together. Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.
The film is set for a July 4 release and co-stars Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, Mos Def, Cee-Lo Green and James Corden. Check out the first trailer and poster directly below.
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