Once, the Best Movie You've Never Heard Of

The story can be summed up in a sentence: a pair of musicians meet on the street and soon realize that they can make beautiful music together. What you can't get from that is how sweet, funny and poetic it is. It's made simply and with heart and avoids cliches just like the scruffy mutt that it is.

A large part of its glory (don't worry, this film is completely immune to being over-hyped, because it's just that solid and appealing) is the fact that the two stars are not actors who try to play music, but are, instead, real musicians who act. That's not to say, however, that the acting is bad because it absolutely is not. They behave naturally and organically and the film fits them like a perfect harmony.

How is that even possible? You may well ask. Well, it helps that the stars are friends in real life and have a genuine comfort with one another. It also helps that the director is a musician and former band mate of the male lead and encouraged a lot of on-set improvisation adding to the effortless lightness of it. Which is not to say it doesn't have a compelling or satisfying plot because it most certainly does not to mention an unexpected and oddly satisfying ending.

Also there is no great heavy lifting, acting-wise, that would require the chops of a seasoned professional such as would be needed to pull off fake accents or tragic reversals. The subject matter fits the style like any effective art should and--and this is the true secret--the story is primarily told through music. It's a musical, unconventional though it may be, as the singing only happens when the characters feel like playing and not because it justifies any big dance numbers (of which there are thankfully none). It's just like hanging out with a pair of musicians you know down the street and because of that you completely and utterly fall in love with them, I promise (and I don't make promises lightly).