WAKING NED DEVINE (Fox Searchlight) Directed by Kirk Jones
In a year that has seen farces featuring foul-mouthed animals ("Doctor Dolittle") and unique uses for bodily fluids ("There's Something About Mary") it's a relief to find a relatively wholesome, out-of-the-mainstream farce you can watch without blushing. "Waking Ned Devine," a whiskey-soaked slice of Irish whimsy, has already drawn comparisons to last year's surprise hit "The Full Monty," but don't go expecting more of the good-natured raunch of that movie. Instead "Ned" has the gentleness and unforced humor of Scottish director Bill Forsythe's work ("Local Hero," "The Girl in the Picture") with just a sprinkling of the kind of black comedy so often found in movies from the Emerald Isle. There's no particular message or great meaning to be found in writer-director Kirk Jones' film, just some good fun and a few hearty laughs.
You don't have to hail from the United Kingdom to relate to the money-mad residents of Tullymore, a tiny hamlet seized by lottery mania. Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) and his best friend Michael O' Sullivan (David Kelly) are particularly crazed. They've learned one of Tullymore's 52 residents has won the jackpot, and Jackie and Michael are eager to buddy up to whomever the winner turns out to be. Unfortunately, elderly Ned Devine (Jimmy Keogh) was simultaneously lucky and unlucky: Jackie finds him clutching the magic ticket, literally thrilled to death by the shock of it all. What a shame, notes Jackie's long-suffering wife Annie (Fionnula Flanagan) since "Ned carried a heart the size of his head in his chest."
But Jackie isn't about to let a little thing like that stand in the way of collecting a purse of over seven million pounds ($11,200,000). He first coerces Michael into masquerading as Ned to fool a lottery investigator from Dublin, then faces the task of convincing the entire town to go along with the scheme. The result is a breezy mix of slapstick and subtle character-driven humor. One subplot involves romantic neighbor Finn (James Nesbitt) and his attempts to win back former flame Maggie (Susan Lynch) who loves the guy but can't tolerate his smell -- Finn is a pig farmer -- even after he bathes repeatedly with an assortment of "fruity soaps."
"Waking Ned Devine" doesn't always hit the mark and several scenes seem to be missing their punchlines. But the people Jones has created are so sweet-natured and the performances by all concerned so endearing the movie's missteps are easy to forgive. Besides, with its lush green hills, gorgeous seascape and formidable community spirit, Tullymore is the kind of place many will enjoy spending time in. James Sanford
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