 Waking Ned Devine (1998) It's an odd egg: the story of two old men who learn that someone in their tiny coastal town of 52 has won the state lottery. They scheme to figure out who it is, to help the lucky sot spend a bit on … what? Maybe a beer or a nice big meal down at the pub. Nothing too sinister there. The story poses a few minor surprises, but at bottom it's reall about the friendship between these old men who have nothing better to do with their time. Jackie (Ian Bannen) is the schemer, while Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly) will pretty much do anything Jackie says. Jackie's wife, Annie (Fionnula Flanagan), doesn't like the way Jackie takes advantage of Michael, who is as trusting a soul as you could expect. Jackie realizes he's gone too far when their schemes raise the specter of prison for the two men; strapping Jackie could easily survive a short term, but frail, nervous Michael would certainly die. Stakes are thus pretty high as the plot thickens. The A-story and the main subplot, in which a pig farmer courts a woman whose son's father's identity is unknown (got that?), are both satisfyingly resolved, as is necessary in all good lighthearted foreign comedies. The location and sweetness of the townspeople brought to mind one of my personal favorites, Local Hero, which is a much more resonant film. But WND aspires only to entertain, which is good enough for me. All of the performances are excellent and real, and there are two or three truly hysterical moments. Only one element marred the experience for me: the surprisingly mean-spirited manner in which a mean-spirited character was dealt with. Seemed out of place in such a warm film. This is exactly the sort of movie in which you root for the success of the heroes as well as the film itself. Too quirky to jump out from the video shelf, it's exactly the kind of film for which "word of mouth" was invented.
Review by Crimedog |