A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1995 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE is a tale set in Dublin in 1963. It stars Albert Finney in another of his wonderful performances. He makes you feel his character's joy and his pain. Unlike his excellent role last year in The Browning Version, this time we find him as basically a happy and joyful character albeit one with an underlying sadness whereas in the other show he played a sad person who repressed any feeling of contentment.
A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE is a bus conductor (the guy who takes the tickets). The bus in this movie is like none you have ever seen before. It is almost reminiscent of The Magic School Bus kid's TV show on PBS. Here the people on the bus are all regulars, and while riding, they practice plays directed by their conductor. They have great fun doing this--most especially Finney. Watch how much fun he is having. It may make you want to spring into a character in the next dull meeting you are at and start quoting lines from Oscar Wilde.
The regulars on the bus are joined by a lovely young stranger (Tara Fitzgerald) whom Finney talks into playing the lead in Oscar Wilde's Soleme. This is a "wicked tale" and gets Finney into trouble with other locals. There are many other well performed feature roles (Brenda Fricker, Michael Gambon, Rufus Swell, and Patrick Malahide) in what is ultimately a one person tour de force.
The plot is predictable, but who cares. You really have fun watching all of the regulars on the bus and soon you begin to feel you are one of them. There is a key part of the rest of the movie that all of the reviews I have seen have talked about, but I will not give it away. You will be able to guess it early on probably. Suffice it to say, that I think Finney is quite convincing with all parts of the role.
The grays and the steel blues of Dublin in the early 60s are a bit melancholy but beautiful. As one who loves old buses, this show was a special treat. (By the way, if you like old buses, the best museum in the world for them is the London Transport Museum). The colors in the cinematography were well chosen and quite evocative of the mood of the piece.
This is not a mega movie. It is more like a little tone poem. For what it is, it is well done. Although it is bittersweet, it is a feel good movie. I left the theater singing the happy song from the credits and feeling elated as if I now somehow was one of the regulars and had some part in Soleme.
The movie is carefully edited and runs 1:38. It is rated R for a little nudity, a little violence and adult themes. Older teenagers could see it with no problems. I recommend this show to you and give it ** 1/2. Although it is not popular with most critics (lots of "who cares" and mild thumbs down), I was happy to find that one major critic (Peter Stack of the SF Chronicle) did like it and even more than me in that he gave it his top rating. I think the movie is good, but it is not that good.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEWED WRITTEN ON: February 14, 1995
Opinions expressed are solely mine & not meant to reflect my employer's.
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