90
Metascore
33 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The Hollywood ReporterJames GreenbergThe Hollywood ReporterJames GreenbergThe film has enormous charm and zero pretense.
- 100Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanUntil Once, I'm not sure that I'd ever seen a small-scale, nonstylized, kitchen-sink drama in which the songs take on the majesty and devotion of a musical dream.
- 100L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorOnce feels handmade in the best sense, an impressionistic feast for the senses cobbled together from lovely grace notes and a warm palette of reds and yellows.
- 90The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottIts low-key affect and decidedly human scale endow Once with an easy, lovable charm that a flashier production could never have achieved. The formula is simple: two people, a few instruments, 88 minutes and not a single false note.
- 88TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxFocusing strictly on stripped-down performances of great music and the charming chemistry between the two leads, it's a perfectly realized yet unassuming movie that deserves to find a big audience.
- 88New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithWhat "Rent" should have been, Once is: a Bohemian rhapsody.
- 80Village VoiceRobert WilonskyVillage VoiceRobert WilonskyYet the magic of the movie is how utterly wrenching it renders these songs, which thrive alongside the film's simple, eloquent, dusky narrative.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThis isn't a perfect motion picture but, in the midst of summer's vapid pursuit of spectacle, a movie that provides real heart and emotion is a rare find.
- 70Film ThreatFilm ThreatA film of limited production values, a low-quality picture and the occasional flubbed camera move. But it makes up for these flaws with sharp observations, compelling characters and a great collection of music.
- 70VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveyWinningly unpretentious tale uses a wispy romantic narrative as a vehicle for attractive original tunes.