Film Review: 'Begin Again'

So, on Monday evening I travelled back to uni with my parents, following a lovely chilled weekend spent at home before revision truly began. They came and saw me play a Spring Concert with my orchestra, and then dropped me back at my flat where I got ready for bed and snuggled under the duvet for my last few hours of 'guilt-free' freedom.

Having made a promise myself the previous week not to start a new series on Netflix until after exams, I decided to pick a film at random, and that's how I stumbled across 'Begin Again'.


Brief Summary: Greta is a young singer-song writer who has always lived in her musician boyfriend's shadow, while Dan is an alcoholic, declining music producer evicted from the label he jointly founded. When the two meet in a bar following Greta's performance, an unlikely friendship begins, and turns into a project which will get both of them back on track, both in their professions and personal lives.

The story was simple, but feel-good and inspiring. It felt relatable due to dealing with very real issues of failure, heartbreak, addiction and family relationships, as well as the constant struggle to find what you're good at and have the confidence to share that with the world.

Mark Ruffalo, as Dan, and Kiera Knightly, as Greta, were an excellent combo. I'm not always a big fan of Knightly as I think she can sometimes come across as a bit wooden, but the stand-off-wish, mysterious character of Great was a perfect role which highlighted her abilities. Supporting parts, such as that of Dan's daughter Violet, played by Hailee Steinfield (Pitch Perfect 2) , and Greta's ex-boyfriend Dave, played by Adam Levine of the band 'Maroon 5', really helped to shape the film as a whole. Plus James Corden was his usual hilarious self and brought the comedy factor, causing me to literally laugh out loud at points.

While perhaps a little unrealistic (I mean who really happens to meet a music producer who needs you as much as you needs them before extending their stay in NYC to randomly record an entire album on a £0 budget which then sells 10,000 copies overnight... sorry for the spoiler!) in practice, 'Begin Again' helps you remember never to give up because the next big opportunity could be around the corner and hard work and luck can equate to miraculous results... which to be honest was exactly the message I needed before 3 weeks of exam study! Definitely one to catch while it's on Netflix.