Once (2006)

I like Nick Cave a lot. In the last few months, The Bad Seeds have been in my CD player more than any other band, simply because their music is really, really good. I would consider myself a fan of Nick Cave, absolutely. However, I would never think to make a film based mostly on his music. Even if I introduce a few characters (perhaps a charming female lead?), the story would still undoubtedly be lacking, and the quality of the film would depend entirely on how much the viewer likes Nick Cave's music. Using his music for emphasis would be fine (Wings of Desire now available on Blu Ray!), but as a central theme? No thank you.

It is for this reason that beloved indie musical Once is pretty terrible. Take one part street crooner, one part attractive street vendor, add some agreeable, though otherwise unremarkable tunes, and you have a movie about a street crooner, an attractive street vendor and some agreeable, though otherwise unremarkable tunes.

The main character of the film is really the music. Like I said already, the music is far from bad, I might even listen to the soundtrack once in a while if I had it. But I'm not so enraptured by it that I would ever want to see a movie about it. The scenes in the film are really just written around the music, finding ways to allow the flat personalities to interact. Through song.

To its credit, Once is delightfully unpretentious. I don't think I've ever seen a movie so ready to present itself so matter-of-fact, just kind of hoping people would like it, without really expecting much from the audience. At the same time, I think a little pretension is needed. It's a film after all, trying to pretend the camera and crew aren't there and the film is merely happening is as hokey as an Ansel Adams photograph (note: Ansel Adams is just about the greatest photographer ever, but goddamn are his pictures painfully romanticized). Unlike another recent, awful musical, Across The Universe, Once really has nothing going for it outside the music. At least that film had a few neat music videos hidden among 2 hours of poor film-making. Once, on the other hand, feels as though it wasn't even directed, but merely occurred and was documented.

Also, the movie has a really dumb poster.