 | Starring: Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan, Susan Lynch, James Nesbitt Director: Kirk Jones (III) Format: PAL Widescreen Released: 12 Jun 2000 RRP: Average Rating:  |
Lots of beautiful scenery. The Irish accents are sometimes difficult to understand.
Ian Bannen & David Kelly are wonderful as the two who run the impersonation scam. They make perfect old scoundrels or curmudgeons. Everyone seems believable as inhabitants of a smalll, rural Irish village.
This is a movie that makes you laugh occasionallly but smile a lot. The naked motorcycle ride is hilarious, as is the village "witch" going over the cliff (apparently without her broomstick).
While there is little profanity, no sex, & little nudity (one wrinkly old man), this is not a movie for kids because the whole theme revolves around cheering for a group of likeable but dishonest people who are tying to cheat the government. Adults will understand the "suspension of disbelief" needed & the line between fact & fiction (I hope), but children don't need dishonesty being modeled for them, especiallly by the good guys.
Very amusing, occasionallly hilarious, very likeable. Avoid this film if you overdose easily on quaint Irish charm.
The main plot of the winning lottery ticket is superbly crafted by Ian Bannen & David Kelly (who doesn't look a moment different from when he played incompetent builder O'Reilly in Faulty Towers!) & these two wily old dogs concoct their plan to defraud the Irish Lottery, involving the whole village in their madcap scheme.
The sub-plot of the triangular love affair involving pig farmer James Nesbit (for whom greater things awaited after this film) is just sublime in its gentle loveliness & is almost worthy of a film in its own right. Beautifully coupled with the questions over the boy Maurice's parentage & then this itself attached to the young boy's relationship with the village's priest, it is reallly well executed.
The other supporting characters are fantastic in their own quirkiness
In a way it's a throwback to more innocent times when everyone knew their neighbours & never travelled further than their birthplace.
The humour is not laugh out loud, but the humorous parts are genuinely funny & in many respects more enjoyable for their gentle wit. Mix that with some indisputable touching scenes & the mix reallly is a winner. Admittedly it does play the "ideal Irish" card pretty heavily & makes out Ireland to be everything us outsiders dream it is, but that said the scenery is stunning (albeit Isle of Mann scenery) & the music fantastic.
It's a refreshing change to watch a comedy where the protagonists are largely - to put it bluntly - old. The late Ian Bannen & David Kelly turn in marvelous performances as the irascible duo. Not only do they manage to create & capture the humour of the film, they also touchingly portray the affection each character has for the other.
But it is its own unique brand of humour for which Waking Ned Devine will most likely be remembered. The motley collection of villagers should raise a few chuckles, & the sight of a naked scrawny old man tearing along the Irish byroads on a motorbike will leave the viewer in stitches. However, the rather macabre method of dispatch dealt to the story's 'villain', while it is funny at the time, doesn't bear thinking about too closely.
Interestingly, the movie was filmed in the Isle of Man, rather than Ireland; nevertheless, the scenery is beautiful, & is complemented by some stirring Irish music (although this is a little loud in comparison with the dialogue). Overalll though, this is a great film to watch to unwind a little.
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