HEAR MY SONG
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1992 Mark R. Leeper
Capsule review: A bunch of newcomers to feature
filmmaking make a highly impressive debut in this very
original and funny comedy about a young impresario and a
legendary Irish singer. You may have to go some distance to
find HEAR MY SONG, but it is well worth seeking out. Rating:
low +2 (-4 to +4).
ear My Song is the first film directed by Peter Chelsom. It is based on a screenplay Chelsom co-authored with Adrian Dunbar, the actor who plays the film's main character. It is a spectacular start for two major talents. British Chelsom is starting out with more talent than 90% of American directors and with a skill that it took Bill Forsyth two or three films to attain. I choose Forsyth because Chelsom and Forsyth are both British and each has a loving feel for the personalities of minor characters and local color. HEAR MY SONG is constantly doing the unexpected. Only in the last ten minutes does the film get a bit sugary.
Mickey O'Neill (played by Dunbar) is a thirty-year-old concert promoter in an Irish neighborhood in England. He wants little more from life than to put on successful concerts and to woo his girlfriend Nancy. Tara Fitzgerald, who plays Nancy, has the sort of pristine beauty that Grace Kelly had. There is absolutely no need for the film to explain why Mickey is anxious to win Nancy. Mickey, however, is having problems, both with Nancy and with his promotions. He finds himself promoting sleazier and sleazier singers to ever-shrinking audiences. Then he manages to book a legendary Irish singer who has been a tax exile from England since 1958. That sparks unexpected events and a quest in Ireland.
Chelsom's style of story-telling is brisk and usually intelligent. Plot details are not overly explained. Some concentration is required and there is the feeling that the plot could take a right-angle turn at any moment. Unusual camera angles abound. Chelsom and Dunbar pack the film with comic situations and dialogue. Some mention should be made of the films only two recognizable stars. Top billing goes to Ned Beatty as a reclusive Irishman who could be the key to Mickey's success. His singing is one of the few negative touches as his singing voice--dubbed by Vernon Midgley--just does not seem to go with his speaking voice. David McCallum is largely wasted as a police inspector and as a heavy.
This is a genuinely funny comedy and well worth looking for. I rate this a low +2 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
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