|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources
|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources
Mind you now, this is no ordinary lottery ticket. Oh, sure, it's worth 6.9 million pounds all right. But that's hardly the most curious of its properties. Though the newspaper assures that tthe lucky ducat was purchased in this isolated seashore hamlet, not one of Tulaigh Mhor's 52 residents has yet come forward to claim the fortune. And no one among them is more confounded by this unsettling circumstance than that scheming senior citizen, Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen), seconded by his very best pal, Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly). Endearingly realised, these two connivers are the Leprechaun answer to Heckle and Jeckle.
At Fitzgerald's, the town watering hole where all matters large and small are regularly settled over a pint or two, the locals begin feeling each other out. Everyone wants to get on the right side of the winner; silliness reigns supreme and rampant flattery runs as freely as the Guinness does.
Jackie's initial attempts to flush out the winner are to no avail. Sarcastically supportive wife Annie, portrayed in classical, patience-of-a-saint style by Fionnula Flanagan, also tries some sleuthing, but is equally ineffective. And then Jackie hatches a foolproof plan: obtaining the names of the 18 most avid lottery players, he invites them all to a chicken dinner. Lo and behold, at night's end there remains one uneaten supper. Missing among the invitees is Ned Devine. Suffice it to note that a visit to old Ned's seaside cottage is cause for a smidgen of gallows humour. Alas, he is in no condition to claim his winnings.
What follows is a deliciously comical jaunt that sets out to answer that all-consuming, 6.9 million pound question: how, oh how, to cash that ticket? Of course, you can leave it to Jackie to forge a scheme. But will it work? When the young lottery agent from Dublin visits Tulaigh Mhor (pronounced Tullymore) in search of Ned Devine, it's city mouse versus country mouse in a game of mistaken identity crisis. The comic contortions are priceless, laced with a novel sense of tension-filled whimsy.
The buoyant screenplay is an inspired little bit of writing, penned with wistful spirit by director Jones. He captures that convivial aura that plays happy flip side to what the Irish call The Troubles. This is Ireland when the sun is shining. When the absolutely stunning scenery (photographed by Henry Braham) isn't besmirched with civil strife. When man is inherently good and the only evil person is the town witch (after all, no self-respecting, perfectly idyllic burg should be without one). While Shaun Davey's nicely complementing musical score contains nary a bagpipe, you'll swear you hear them anyway. Shades of John Ford's The Quiet Man, one expects that Maureen O'Hara and Barry Fitzgerald will pop up at any given moment.
This is a bona fide, contemporary fable. And although the charming story tends to sag a tad in the film's mid portions, fine ensemble performances save the day. Supporting Messrs. Bannen and Kelly's cockamamie high jinks are three nicely etched sub-plots, which make whimsical use of the movie's magical band of supporting players. In each instance, a serendipitous irony rules the day.
There's the love story of winsome but unwed Maggie (Susan Lynch), oddly enough the mother of the village's only child. She'd love to oblige marriage-minded "Pig" Finn (James Nesbitt), if only he'd forsake his olfactory-insulting, hog farming ways. Another sweet sidebar concerns a young priest hoping to gain acceptance among this idiosyncratic flock. And then there's the loopy case of the aforementioned witch, a canny ne'er-do-well who threatens to queer any strategy that doesn't make her the major beneficiary.
Aside from the greedy hag, these are companionable folk, living among some of the world's most beautiful scenery. Their story is enchanting. Spending time with them allows the viewer to bask in the illusion of a better world, where character matters and neighbours take time out to care about each other. Enjoying their saga could get you thinking about a real trip to Ireland. Perhaps a winning lottery ticket will make that possible.
|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources