CAST: Glan Hansard, Markéta Irglová SCR: John Carney DIR: John Carney STUDIO: Fox Searchlight MPAA: R for language RUNNING TIME: 102 min. OFFICIAL SITE: www.foxsearchlight.com/once In the 21st century, when you say “musical,” it's easy to think of the bombast of Moulin Rouge or the episodic set pieces of Chicago. Usually there is choreography, and most times, people spontaneously burst into song for no apparent reason. Most musicals are fantasies, existing in alternate universes where such behavior is the norm. Once is not one of those musicals. Made for just $150,000 with long indie-style takes, real singing and a minimalist approach, Once tells a very simple story of a husker who meets his soul mate on the streets of Dublin and the week that follows. The song lyrics say everything the characters will not or cannot say to each other, and the most revealing exchange of dialogue is spoken in Czech with no subtitles (thank god for the internet). At first glance, it seems like it would be similar to the bloated Hugh Grant-Drew Barrymore yuckfest Music and Lyrics. But Once is as refreshingly original as Lyrics seems shat from the McMovie assembly line. We want this couple (named only Guy and Girl) to get together and understand why that really cannot. There are no music cues to tell us how to feel, no Hugh Grant finale with a declaration of love and nowhere does a secondary character (who exist only for such reasons in Hollywood films) spell out the obvious to our clueless leads. Once is written and directed by John Carney, a former member of the Irish band The Frames -- and the Guy is played by The Frames' founder Glen Hansard (who was one of the guitarists in Alan Parker's The Commitments). Since so much of the film deals with the unspoken process of creating art, the pedigree is not surprising. And now Hansard has appeared in the two best Dublin-based musicals! What is entirely surprising is that the Girl -- Markéta Irglová - had never acted before appearing in this film. And yet, she is so serene, so commanding and so genuine (not to mention a great singer), she creates one of the most indelible characters of the year. The ending is sublime. Make time to watch the last seven minutes twice, because much of the off-camera goodness might not be as apparent. And while we're talking about sequences worth repeating, there is a long scene in a music shop at a piano that is one of the most dazzlingly human moments I've seen in years. The song, “Falling Slowly,” a lilting, delicate and ultimately joyous declaration of love plays like all the stages of a first date with the Guy (on guitar) talking the Girl (on piano) through the changes in the song. It is this scene, with its stolen glances and passion, that simultaneously captures the harmonious moment in which all instruments gloriously combine to make one sound, and makes it analogous to the fragility of falling in love. It's an instant classic scene and the heart of the movie. And about that R rating - don't let it mislead you. Thanks to the wisdom of our bean counting MPAA, a handful of regionally-accurate F-bombs registered an R rating here in the states, although this is probably one of the most benign and delicate films of the year. Once is a great date movie. It is also a great independent film, and a great musical. You want it to continue so you can spend more time with these people and when it's all said and done, you want to turn around and watch it again. It's no surprise that audiences everywhere have carried this precious little film through a very long theatrical run. It would not surprise me in the slightest if a Hollywood studio wanted to remake the film with more mainstream stars. And if they did, I'm sure it would look and feel exactly like Music and Lyrics… --reviewed by DENNIS WILLIS