Song One
The Film Arcade | Release Date: January 23, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
16
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
New York PostSara StewartJan 21, 2015
It’s not quite “Once,” but Song One, featuring original music by Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice, captures a similar, unselfconscious beauty in the way music can make sense of big, ungainly emotions — as James puts it, “for three to five whole minutes.” Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'HehirJan 22, 2015
This is a sweet-tempered and small movie that’s not remotely trying to be hip. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeJan 27, 2014
Perhaps the cleverest thing about Barker-Froyland’s delicately contrived debut is how uncontrived she manages to make it seem. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerJan 22, 2015
Not enough happens in Song One for the movie to really qualify as unpredictable, but it deserves credit for a steadfast avoidance of melodrama in a story that practically begs for it. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniFeb 2, 2015
Song One burns with genuine sentiment, charismatic actors, and good music. One wishes it were held together by something more than a series of moods. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineNick PriggeJan 18, 2015
This snapshot of catharsis follows a familiar trajectory, but Kate Barker-Froyland refreshingly resists elevating her characters' relationship to the level of grandiose. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJan 22, 2015
Song One is an odd little movie. It seems as if there is more going on than there is, which you realize after it's over. As pleasant diversions in the moment go, however, you could do much worse. Read full review
58
IndieWireMary SollosiJan 27, 2014
Barker-Froyland's intention was clearly to make Song One all about music and how it can bring people together. But the result is all about Anne. Read full review
58
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezJan 27, 2014
Song One is well intentioned, well-shot and has its musical heart in the right place, but it often feels incredibly familiar, and the more contrived, credulity-straining moments don’t help. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaJan 23, 2015
Often, Song One feels like the timid B-side of last summer’s more satisfying music-biz saga, the much less woe-is-me and a lot more let’s-have-some-fun “Begin Again.” Read full review
50
Washington PostStephanie MerryJan 22, 2015
The movie, which marks the feature debut of writer-director Kate Barker-Froyland, has the low-key appeal of “Once,” with its extended scenes of music and drama-free romantic subplot. But the characters in Song One are stubbornly bland, despite their quirks. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisJan 22, 2015
This quirky film does the unexpected: It pours on the restraint, emphasizing the grit and making the romance as low key as possible. It’s an anti-romance romance. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrJan 22, 2015
Movies can convey the fever of new love more intensely than almost any other medium, and Song One is best when it shrinks the world down to James and Franny alone together in a crowded city. Read full review
50
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlJan 21, 2015
Hathaway's performance is brave, strong, wistful, and misty, and she's especially affecting when being wooed, gently, by Flynn, playing an indie-folkstar. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 20, 2015
The magical thing that Hathaway accomplishes here is in getting this film made and this look at the New York music scene out there. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJan 27, 2014
The delicate drama is sweet and sincere but a tad thin to resonate. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenJan 23, 2015
The movie is an album-sleeve-thin romance steeped in a self-congratulatory Williamsburg, Brooklyn, vibe. Read full review
40
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJan 22, 2015
Heartfelt but enervated, Song One noodles around the Brooklyn music scene without stirring up magic. Read full review
40
The DissolveMike D'AngeloJan 22, 2015
There’s something icky about a life-threatening coma that serves no function except to engineer a meet-cute. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanJan 21, 2015
For her debut drama, Song One, filmmaker Kate Barker-Froyland snares Anne Hathaway. It’s a stroke of luck. Hathaway’s doe-eyed sincerity provides just enough weight to keep this sweet but slight romance from floating away. Read full review
40
Time OutDavid EhrlichJan 20, 2015
Fading out long before it’s able to cohere into anything memorable, Song One has its heart in the right place (on its sleeve)—it’s just in desperate need of a few strong hooks. Read full review
40
The GuardianHenry BarnesJan 27, 2014
Writer-director Kate Barker-Froyland's debut feature is a mournful number, held back by an uncertain performance by Flynn and an alienating reverence for the restorative power of middling indie-folk. Read full review
38
Rolling StonePeter TraversJan 29, 2015
First-time filmmaker Kate Barker-Froyland trusts the silences that occur when two people aren't talking. That's a good thing. What's not so good is when the talk grows enervating. Read full review
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