edited by Jonathan Doyle

Mafioso (The Criterion Collection, 3.18.2008) Nino Badalamenti is a supervisor in a car manufacturing plant who hasn't taken a vacation in over two years. On his way out the door to visit his beloved childhood hometown of Sicily -- with his blonde wife and daughters -- Nino is handed a package by his boss and asked to deliver it to a powerful and influential Sicilian gangster named Don Vincenzo. Once in Sicily, Nino has a hoot seeing friends and family, but his wife has trouble fitting in and is unfairly dismissed as a snob by Nino's family. Even more worrisome, Nino finds himself entangled in an intricate web of secret mafioso dealings and is eventually sent on an unexpectedly... elaborate errand. (continued)

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Boy A

"Once" = comfort food

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In this 9.29 L.A. Times essay, critic Kenneth Turan seems to be writing about Once from a slightly different angle -- i.e., how come it took so long for this exquisite little film to get picked up? -- than the one I went with yesterday, which was basically "how come more Average Joes haven't paid to see it?" But he gets around to saying the exact same thing at the conclusion.

"The Once experience worried me," Turan writes, "because it underlined how much the risk-averse studio mindset of being indifferent to quality, of caring more about what can be sold than what will be cherished, is infecting an arena that has always prided itself on being impervious to those ways of thinking.

"Yet to be fair, it would be wrong to completely blame the specialty distributors for their lack of brio where acquiring Once was concerned. If they are timid, if they lack trust in the willingness of an audience to find and support something that lacks marketable elements, it's because experience has shown them that they have reason to be afraid.

"Even now, in the face of the success and visibility of Once, I am constantly running into supporters of independent cinema who have not gone to see the film partly because, despite a terrific Fox Searchlight campaign, it lacks the kind of easy-to-remember hook having Keri Russell in a cute uniform has given Waitress."

Turan's kicker graph is well phrased, but it's a stern lecture from a man who's losing his patience with those who say theyr'e into offbeat cuisine but in fact are dilletantes looking for comfort food: "If you want distributors to acquire films as sophisticated and unusual as Once, " Turan admonishes, "you must make the extra effort to seek them out and patronize them. If you don't, don't count on them to be around when you need them the most."

The irony is that Once is about as comfort food-y as anyone could ask for. It just happens to be very Irish and low-budgety and lacking in big stars.

God hates us<< previous | next >>Ingmar Bergman has died

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 29, 2007 at 01:39 PM

comment #1

GeorgePrager says ...

For a film like this to make big money, Long Island soccer moms have to be lining up the way they did for THE BIG MONTY. They didn't.

Posted by GeorgePrager at July 29, 2007 02:23 PM

comment #2

Larry says ...

This small film with no budget ($150,000)--a movie that looks like a foreign language film--has already grossed over $6 million domestic. That's huge. There are tons of indie films this size that would be thrilled to gross over a million.

By the way, I didn't like the music and found it quite boring.

Posted by Larry at July 29, 2007 02:56 PM

comment #3

corey3rd says ...

we've been yelling about this for the last 15 years as the Dependies took over for the Indies. It took him this long to see the light?

Daring indie died when Harvey passed on In the Company of Men because he imagine being able to market the film

Posted by corey3rd at July 29, 2007 03:10 PM

comment #4

T. Holly says ...

"You're gorgeous," Larry.

Posted by T. Holly at July 29, 2007 03:37 PM

comment #5

corey3rd says ...

should have written "becuase he couldn't imagine how to market the film" when talking about Harvey and In the Company of Men.

Posted by corey3rd at July 29, 2007 04:04 PM

comment #6

T. Holly says ...

It was also difficult to take possession of the film, but that's a different story -- one for the indie annals. But I want to point this out:

Larry, "you're gorgeous."
"You're goregeous" Larry.
Larry is "gorgeous."
"Gorgeous Larry."
"Larry the Georgeous."

Posted by T. Holly at July 29, 2007 04:20 PM

comment #7

MiraJeffAICN says ...

best. movie. of. the. year. so. far.
at least, it's in the discussion, along with Zodiac and Ratatouille.

Posted by MiraJeffAICN at July 29, 2007 05:04 PM

comment #8

cjKennedy says ...

It's no Little Miss Sunshine, but it seems to be doing pretty well for itself. I wonder if it's doing well enough that the distributor doesn't regret picking it up though. If it fortifies the timid attitudes Turan talks about, then that's no good.

I'll bet a lot of people discover it on DVD.

Posted by cjKennedy at July 29, 2007 05:13 PM

comment #9

berg says ...

I was talking to a soccer mom yesterday and she asked me about ONCE ... she asked "Am I going to be able to understand what they are saying?"

Posted by berg at July 29, 2007 06:01 PM

comment #10

erniesouchak says ...

Clearly I'm in the minority, but I don't consider it a crime against humanity that people are skipping "Once." I would only recommend it to people who are really into folk music.

Posted by erniesouchak at July 29, 2007 06:47 PM

comment #11

Chicago48 says ...

#1- the Title "Once" sucks
#2- the trailer sucks
#3- the unknown actors sucks
#4 - the music (what I heard) sucks

I haven't seen the movie, I passed on free screening because it looked like a straight to video. I would recommend that this type of movie stay overseas and in Great Britain, build up momentum to a fever pitch and then bring it overseas to the U.S. Or better yet - why not turn it into a Broadway musical and then make it a film?

Posted by Chicago48 at July 29, 2007 07:42 PM

comment #12

berg says ...

there is no rule that says you have to like ONCE or the music in the film ... I like Once because this is a film whose spine says that there are first loves and true loves and that they are never the same ...

Posted by berg at July 29, 2007 08:24 PM

comment #13

Hallick says ...

"I was talking to a soccer mom yesterday and she asked me about ONCE ... she asked 'Am I going to be able to understand what they are saying?'"

The bitch about that question is that even if "Once" were subtitled to assist with the thicker Irish accents, so many people would then retort, "oh - I can't stand subtitles".

To each their own, but I can usually enjoy a movie just fine even if there are some lines I can't catch right. I don't understand each and every lyric in a lot of songs I like either but I enjoy them all the same; and the human mind has a way of filling in the gaps without much of a hassle.

Posted by Hallick at July 29, 2007 08:42 PM

comment #14

Terry McCarty says ...

One irony of Turan's article is that WAITRESS didn't do boffo biz either.

Posted by Terry McCarty at July 29, 2007 11:00 PM

comment #15

BurmaShave says ...

"#1- the Title "Once" sucks
#2- the trailer sucks
#3- the unknown actors sucks
#4 - the music (what I heard) sucks

Posted by: Chicago48 at July 29, 2007 07:42 PM"

The Anti-Christ has appeared. Or is it the Devil himself? Sweet, sweet Rapture.

Posted by BurmaShave at July 30, 2007 12:59 AM

comment #16

Terry McCarty says ...

Re the long summer of Fox Searchlight:
Isn't it interesting that they're trying to sell SUNSHINE (by print ads)as if it's the twin of the Soderbergh/Cameron/Clooney SOLARIS remake?

Posted by Terry McCarty at July 30, 2007 01:44 AM

comment #17

T. S. Idiot says ...

Greatest living director is no more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/movies/30cnd-bergman.html?ref=arts

Posted by T. S. Idiot at July 30, 2007 06:00 AM

comment #18

Mgmax says ...

At least the last of the 50s-60s arthouse giants. Amazing to think of how somebody like him made one significant film after another, deeply personal, devoid of commercial elements (okay, sex had something to do with it, but still)-- and an audience came out for it, film after film, just to see what he'd do next.

I felt like his reputation had sagged in recent years; prepare for it to start rising again.

If you've never seen his work, go watch Wild Strawberries, then watch Persona.

Posted by Mgmax at July 30, 2007 06:15 AM

comment #19

dgunz says ...

Saw "Once" last night- loved it, loved the music.

Posted by dgunz at July 30, 2007 06:46 AM

comment #20

jesse says ...

Does anyone know what in living fuck T.Holly is talking about (here, or ever)? I'm not asking T.Holly directly because when people have done this in the past they usually get an equally obtuse response. All of his/her comments seem to belong in a thread I've never heard, or are responding to other comments no one actually made, and are basically one step up from unreadable.

Anyway. I think it's worth mentioning that loving the music in ONCE doesn't seem necessary to loving the movie, at least not for me. I saw the movie twice and I have the soundtrack, but most of the songs are a lot better in the context of the movie; there are only a handful I really listen to very often. I guess if you found the music really dull you might get annoyed at the movie, but I found watching the characters make that music to be interesting enough on its own. The stripped-down, yearning (some might say a little whiny-sounding) stuff works for the film's sweet, small story.

And I do consider it a musical, not just a drama with music. I can't look at the scene of the woman walking down the street at night with her headphones on as anything but a great (albeit small and not overblown in the usual way) musical number.

Posted by jesse at July 30, 2007 07:16 AM

comment #21

TheLongshot says ...

Um. Where is this visibility that "Once" is getting? If it weren't for the fact that I see the ads on this site, and that I read a review on HTF, I wouldn't have known about this film at all. Maybe it is because I'm a parent and I don't get out to the movie theater all that often anymore, but I've seen almost no marketing and I still haven't watched the trailer. It also hasn't gotten that much buzz on the sites that I read.

While I wouldn't expect it to get marketed like Transformers, but the lack of advertising really keeps people from knowing about it.

Posted by TheLongshot at July 30, 2007 07:33 AM

comment #22

MAGGA says ...

I will watch Once because of all the hype on this site, but everything being said about it makes it sound unspeakably awful, and the trailer looks horrendous. Just wanted to point that out since that might have something to do with it not getting larger numbers. Anyway, will try to keep an open mind.

Posted by MAGGA at July 30, 2007 08:09 AM

comment #23

T. Holly says ...

Once has good character development, great scenery, is a very cinematic musical (per jesse) and is spoken with a bit of a beautiful and extremely understandable lilt (think "mudder").

On top of all that, it's played with Irish jovialness, which as far as I can tell is a lot like American, not British, humor. "You're gorgeous," from the thriftshopkeeper to Hansard's character, is one example. When I say the line in character to people, they rise above everything and laugh.

One last thing. "The Hill" is the name of the song Marketa's character sings at the piano while on break at the recording studio. The recorded version with strings doesn't do it justice. When the DVD comes out, I'm sure the scene will make it to YouTube because it's so powerful in the movie. The second time I saw it, I listened to the audience and heard gasps from several people around me when her character abruptly ends the song in tears.

Anyway, it's a great movie for anyone. You don't have to be in a relationship, or want one, or be any particular sex, or be sexy or beautiful or play an instrument.

Posted by T. Holly at July 30, 2007 08:18 AM

comment #24

jesse says ...

T.Holly, OK, I understood all of that comment, so I feel a little better now. ;)

Posted by jesse at July 30, 2007 08:36 AM

comment #25

nakedmanatee says ...

I've found that when I'm watching movies where the characters have thick accents it takes me about 5 minutes or so for my brain to adjust. Then I'm fine.

Michael Bay is attached to the remake--when the guy on the street corner gets his money stolen, his guitar changes into a robot. A robot!

Posted by nakedmanatee at July 30, 2007 12:41 PM

comment #26

austin111 says ...

It's a "gorgeous" little movie, a gem, with an ending that just sneaks right up on you. Just when you're thinking you know how this is gonna go, it chooses to go down a surprisingly touching and satisfying path. It doesn't matter that you can't understand the thick accents sometimes, the gist is all there if you aren't a complete lughead.

Posted by austin111 at July 30, 2007 03:41 PM

comment #27