Go See This Movie

I was planning to go shooting last night. Instead, I went out with my wife for an evening of French food (crêpes & escargot!) and an Irish movie. What a woman--appeals to the poet and the warrior in me.

The movie we saw is Once. It's Irish and being called a musical, but don't let that frighten you off. They're not bursting into song without any provocation. The leads are a man and woman who are musicians in their free time and they literally make beautiful music together. It's seamlessly integrated into the storyline. Don't let the "R" rating keep you away either. It's for language and really not warranted. The F-word is used several times but doesn't carry the weight that it does in American English.

This movie is wonderful. The last movie I saw that delighted me this much was Amelie. (Read the first line of this post again before you give me a hard time... ;) Once isn't quite as comical, though it is funny, but it has a much bigger heart. The story is simple but engrossing. The actors are real people not polished celebrities. The music is moving and catchy in turn; I downloaded the soundtrack when we got home. In short, it's a gem.

I don't want to give too much of the story away. You should enjoy it for yourself. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 97% Freshness rating and you can find numerous in-depth reviews there.

If you're in Chicago, it's playing at Landmark Century Centre Cinema, one of my favorite theatres around here. La Creperie is just north of there and a charming but casual place for snails and other yummy French food.