THE MATCHMAKER
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Sometimes even the slightest of comedies can come alive with the right talent. So it is with THE MATCHMAKER, an Irish comedy staring Janeane Garofalo. Garofalo, who usually is shuffled off to some minor part as in COP LAND and LARGER THAN LIFE or made-up to look harshly unattractive as in ROMY AND MICHELE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, finally gets a movie where she can take center stage. And not since THE TRUTH ABOUT CATS & DOGS has she been given a part where she looks so appealing. In the latter film she wasn't supposed to be cute, but was and even outshone Uma Thurman.
Garofalo plays Marcy Tizard, an aide to Massachusetts Senator John McGlory (Jay O. Sanders). The senator, with his reelection campaign going down the proverbial toilet, sends Marcy to Ballinagra in Ireland to discover his roots. Although she has trouble finding any evidence of the McGlory family there, she does not want for company since a local matchmakers festival is in full swing.
Ireland welcomes Marcy not with the normal picture postcard views, but with a cold, gray day and a gale-force rain. Soon, however, the weather in this charming tale turns to bright, glorious sunshine. The mountains are snowcapped, the pastures are lush golds and greens, and everywhere Irish music is in the air.
As Dermot, the local matchmaker, Milo O'Shea gives a heartwarming performance. The story keeps cutting to a home video he is making extolling the virtues of matchmaking. As we learn in a Ross Perot-style pie chart presentation, the four ingredients of a good marriage are: love, sex, eating, and having a good laugh, with the latter having the largest slice. Dermot's dead seriousness would work well on a late night infomercial.
Although in competition with another matchmaker, Dermot has many tricks to guarantee his success. His "turbo tan" for the men is claimed to make them instantly irresistible. Nothing like a third-degree burn to turn on the ladies. One unlucky lad even attempts suicide with a sun lamp, which is an extremely painful but normally unsuccessful way to kill oneself.
David O'Hara has played an Irishman in numerous dramas recently including THE DEVIL'S OWN, SOME MOTHER'S SON and the TV show "Prime Suspect 5." As Sean, a shy and seemingly not too bright local man in THE MATCHMAKER, he displays his flair for comedy. He falls quickly in love with Marcy, and soon the feeling is mutual.
"It's so beautiful here," Marcy tells Sean, "If it just had the New York Times, it would be perfect." And then she goes on to confess, "I long to fax someone."
The supporting cast would have come to nothing without Garofalo. Several times in the movie she delivers lines that should be no more than mildly funny, but which elicit huge belly laughs from the audience. With her self-assured and winsome ways, her charm bowls you over, which makes her acerbic wit all the more effective.
The story frequently loses it way only to have some line or gesture from Garofalo get it back on course. The writers use several nice plot twists to resolve the show's predicaments -- some of which are easy to guess and others aren't, but it doesn't matter. The only reason to be in Ireland during the festival is to hang out with Garofalo.
THE MATCHMAKER runs 1:36. It is rated R for a few words of profanity, many of them with unfamiliar Irish pronunciations, and the film would be fine for kids around 10 and up. I recommend this delightful picture to you and give it ***.
**** = A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = Totally and painfully unbearable picture.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: October 4, 1997
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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