Once

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3 Stars
This is a quirky little Irish musical that is getting a limited distribution in the U.S. I enjoyed it; the music is great, but I suspect it will have limited appeal for mainstream American audiences.

A street musician (by day he’s a vacuum cleaner repairman) meets an unemployed pianist. They decide to try collaborating, assemble a makeshift band and sort of fall in love. The songs are worked in as a natural part of the story–unlike most musicals there’s no need to suspend disbelief when the characters burst into song.

Don’t expect a conventional happy ending. It isn’t tragic (parts of it are quite funny), but there’s a typical Irish melancholy tone to the story as a whole.