Home25. Once (2006)
Made for less than $200,000, this scruffy indie from writer-director John Carney redefines the musical form. It stars an actual musician — Glen Hansard, of the Irish rock band the Frames — as a fictional busker who falls for a quirky pianist (Marketa Irglova) on the streets of Dublin. They have a tortured romantic flirtation, and pour their hearts out to each other in mournful original tunes that feel utterly real because they're not played as musical fantasy. A must.
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Countdown! The 25 Greatest Movie Musicals of All Time
With ''Mamma Mia!'' ABBA-ing into theaters, we revisit our list of ultimate ''all singing! all dancing!'' extravaganzas, from ''South Park'' and ''A Hard Day's Night'' to ''Singin' in the Rain,'' ''West Side Story,'' and our No. 1
| Jul 19, 2008
Steve Daly
Steve Daly is a senior writer at EW, and also author of EW.com's Money Shot column
