WHEN BRENDAN MET TRUDY A film review by David N. Butterworth Copyright 2001 David N. Butterworth
** (out of ****)
After "The Commitments," "The Snapper," and "The Van," Roddy Doyle's "When Brendan Met Trudy" is a real disappointment from the Irish novelist and screenwriter. Compared to those smart, snappy screenplays, Doyle's latest is a minor work indeed. It tries too hard to be quirky. It tries too hard to be hip. And all too often it winds up committing the greatest crime of all: it's boring.
With its fanciful tale of a mild-mannered (read: feeble) schoolteacher (Peter McDonald) who forms an unlikely relationship with a free-spirited (read: rude) petty thief (Flora Montgomery), the film has its moments but labors under Doyle's insistence on cramming his screenplay chock full of cinematic references. Brendan (McDonald), who moonlights as a choirboy, is also an avid movie buff so these film references come thick and fast.
There are nods towards Godard, John Wayne, Polish films (especially the one made in color!), "Sunset Boulevard," film noir, Leone's spaghetti westerns, "Rocco and His Brothers"--even the film's title is a rather obvious play on "When Harry Met Sally..."
By the time this longer-than-it-need-be film is over, all this forced and frantic cleverness feels rather obvious too.
McDonald, who played opposite Brendan Gleeson in the splendid Irish gangster flick "I Went Down," is required to sleepwalk his way through his milquetoast role. Montgomery (as the carefree, abrasive Trudy) is accommodating, but her character is a strangely unappealing one. The end result is a character-driven story with two lackluster leads: not your best of combinations by a long chalk.
Brendan and Trudy meet in a pub (where else; this is Dublin!) where Trudy is taken by Brendan's singing ability. Brendan is attracted to Trudy's insouciance (which justifies her standing him up on their first date, naturally). They meet; they get the hots for one another; they take it from there. But where do they take it, exactly? Not very far. The sex scenes are good though (in a natural, awkward, non-Hollywood way).
Reportedly Doyle specifically asked Kieron Walsh to direct the project (the two had worked together in television but Walsh had never directed a feature film before). Walsh's rookie handling of the material might be somewhat responsible for the film's lack of charm, but when you come right down to it Doyle has done much, much better.
Let's hope McDonald and Montgomery are given a better vehicle than "When Brenda Met Trudy" next time out.
-- David N. Butterworth dnb@dca.net
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