I haven’t given much thought to the film Once in the eight years since its release. While I certainly appreciated it at the time, it never grabbed me the way my favorite films do.
That’s a bit surprising, because the movie should be right up my alley. It has the low-budget, real-life romantic vibe of Richard Linklater’s Before series and it features a number of beautifully staged musical moments (Marketa Irglova’s late-night battery run, for example).
So why haven’t I ever watched this movie again? What alchemy wasn’t present in my reaction to this film that has been there in others?
And I love her so
I wouldn’t trade her for gold
I’m walking on moon beams
I was born with a silver spoon
and I’m gonna be me
I’m gonna be free
I’m walking on moon beams
and staring out to sea..
I wouldn’t trade her for gold
I’m walking on moon beams
I was born with a silver spoon
and I’m gonna be me
I’m gonna be free
I’m walking on moon beams
and staring out to sea..
Meet Me In Montauk 
As I recall, you were late to the party on this one, and you had, I think, the often experienced one-two punch of not having been the one to discover it and the inevitable let down of heightened expectations based on the praise from others (including most particularly us). It would take an exceptional effort to overcome these handicaps and, while you still appreciated the film, the way you came to it precluded you from taking “ownership” the way you have with films like Before Sleepytime.
I love this song 🙂 One of my favorites in the film and the way is it performed in the show is really beautiful as well.
Expectations certainly play a role. I’m not sure about discovery, though… I hardly discovered Before Sunrise or Eternal Sunshine, or any of the smaller movies I love. I see almost every movie because it’s been discovered and evangelized by somebody else (the exception being films by filmmakers or actors I actively follow).
You were later to the party on Once than those others, at least in your immediate family circles. I recall we were very high on the film for weeks, if not months, before you saw it.
You could say the same for Chef or Whiplash in recent years, two films I adore.
My guess is that I don’t find the two leads in Once as appealing as I did the music itself.
I was not a fan of Once either, I thought it was sweet but not special. I came to it late because of all the high praise but it wasn’t high on my favorites list either.