WAKING NED DEVINE
A movie review by Joe Barlow
(c) Copyright 1999
STARRING: Ian Bannen, David Kelly, James Nesbitt,
Jimmy Beogh, Susan Lynch
DIRECTOR: Kirk Jones
WRITER: Kirk Jones
RATED: PG
RELEASED: 1998
SEEN AT: The Rialto, Raleigh NC
RATING: *** 1/2 (out of a possible ****)
I doubt there's a person alive who hasn't fantasized of one day winning the lottery and retiring to their personal vision of paradise, possessing the incredible power that only huge stacks of cash can provide. It's been said that winning large amounts of money can change a person. Ned Devine (Jimmy Keogh), a resident of the tiny but beautiful village of Tullymore, Ireland (population: 52), has just discovered the truth in that statement: money can not only change you, it can actually kill you.
It's difficult to construct a review of "Waking Ned Devine," the new comedy from writer/director Kirk Jones, without resorting to phrases like "utterly charming," "quaint" and "crowd-pleasing," three sentiments which have been used so often in film criticism that their meanings have become basically non-existent. And yet, "Waking Ned Devine" *is* charming, unabashedly so, in the way it draws you into its spell. With its colorful (read: quaint) characters, idyllic scenery and wonderful (read: crowd-pleasing) performances, this film not only reveals its low-budget roots, it flaunts them proudly. Budgetwise, Jones delivers a lot of visual punch for pennies, making excellent use of his movie's biggest star: the village of Tullymore itself. This is the sort of film that Hollywood has proven itself incapable of making: it gives us a portrait of small-town eccentricity, without once resorting to stereotypes, or (even worse) the typical one-dimensional characters who populate cinematic towns in movies like "Hope Floats."
Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) and Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly), two of Tullymore's quirkiest yet amiable inhabitants, discover that a winning lottery ticket has been sold to someone in their fair hamlet. Realizing that one of their neighbors is now an extraordinarily wealthy person, our two elderly friends practice their charm on everyone in town, hoping to butter up the new lottery winner, whoever he or she might be. Through a series of uproariously funny events which I will not spoil for you, they eventually discover the winner: the aforementioned Ned Devine. Unfortunately, poor Ned dropped dead of a heart attack mere moments after discovering that he was the lottery winner. This leaves our friends with a classic moral dillema: if they report Ned's death to the officials, the winnings will be recycled back into the lotto for next week's drawing. But maybe, just maybe, Michael could pass himself off as Ned (with Jackie's help) when the lottery man comes to verify "Ned's" claim-- then they can collect the money themselves! No prizes for guessing which option the pair chooses.
The characters in this film are among the most memorable to hit the screen in years. Jackie and Michael are an Irish Abbot and Costello, generating smiles and laughter with their simple naiveity and the unexpected hardships their scheme forces them to endure (witness Michael's hilarious nude motorcycle ride, which I am convinced will eventually find its way into any complete list of wonderful cinematic moments). By far, Jackie and Michael are the sweetest "villains" I've ever seen, partly because the film makes it absolutely clear that this type of crazy scheme is so very alien to them. James Nesbitt is also wonderful as Pig Finn, the town's sensitive pig farmer, who loves the beautiful Maggie (Susan Lynch) with an intensity so "real" and honest that I was actually touched. Unfortunately, although she does love the handsome farmer, Maggie can't abide the permanent odor that years of working on a pig farm have given him... despite the numerous "fruity soaps" Pig scrubs himself vigorously with each day. Many other equally fascinating people dot the landscape of the village, and I will leave it up to you to discover them. Suffice it to say, they're the kind of people you'd love to invite over for a night of beer drinking and rousing Irish sing-a-longs.
In fact, "Waking Ned Devine" is so thoroughly based in its overwhelming sense of sweetness that when that tone vanishes (in the final ten minutes of the movie), the film nearly derails itself. After having spent ninety minutes with a fun, light-hearted story and its inhabitants, we are suddenly whirled, for absolutely no reason, into a sadistic black comedy. It's a jarring switch, and more than a little uncomfortable... but it passes quickly, and we're left to end the film on another note of innocence; somehow, though, after the "black comedy" scene, the transition back to innocence seems unconvincing and empty. It's rather like spending 90 minutes with an adorable, friendly child... then witnessing a two-minute temper tantrum right before going home. The mood is tainted, and you tend to dwell on the few miserable minutes rather than the good parts.
Other than this one inappropriate tone change near the end of the story, "Waking Ned Devine" is a spectacular blend of comedy and characterization. Kirk Jones and his cast have created a special film that far exceeds the intelligence of most of the tripe coming out of Hollywood these days. Rest assured that if I won the lottery tomorrow, neither Hawaii or Paris would be my destination; instead, I'd take you all to Tullymore with me.
E-Mail: jbarlow@earthling.net Joe Barlow on Film: http://www.ipass.net/~jbarlow/film.htm
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