The Boys from County Clare (2003)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

John Irvin

Writer:

Nicholas Adams (written by)

Release Date:

12 September 2003 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

Listen to your heart.

Plot:

Jimmy McMahon (Meany) and his group of Liverpudlians plot to win the annual Ceili music competition in Ireland.

Plot Keywords:

Ireland | Irish | Music Festival

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Bernard Hill	...	John Joe
Charlotte Bradley	...	Maisie
Andrea Corr	...	Anne
Stephen Brennan	...	Miko
Eamonn Owens	...	Pat
Malachy Bourke	...	Ben
Brendan O'Hare	...	Brendan
Ian Shaw	...	Johnny
Leslie Bingham	...	Leslie
Colm Meaney	...	Jimmy
Shaun Evans	...	Teddy
Philip Barantini	...	Alex
Frank Twomey	...	Roger
Emmet Kirwan	...	Clive
Noel Bridgeman	...	Drummer

Also Known As:

The Boys & Girl from County Clare (USA)
The Great Ceili War (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sexuality and nudity.

Runtime:

Canada:90 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:90 min

Country:

Ireland | UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Finland:K-7 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | UK:15 | USA:R | USA:R (certificate #39781)

Filming Locations:

Isle of Man

Company:

Isle of Man Film Commission

Trivia:

An Irish music competition such as the one portrayed in the film is called a "fleadh" (pronounced like "flahhh"). However, nobody uses this word in the movie.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: At various times throughout the film (notably in the pub and during the ceilidh band competition) when we see Anne (Andrea Corr) playing fiddle, her bow is moving but her fingers are not.

Quotes:

Anne: Is that all You ever think about, Music?
John Joe: Well when you've got the music, you've got friends for life, thats why I'm never lonely. Remember that.

Movie Connections:

References The Commitments (1991)

Soundtrack:

The Rolling Wave

Picture postcard Ireland as it never was.

Not much of a plot to this, most of my points are for the lovely Andrea Corr and the acting of the three brothers, Colm Meaney, Bernard Hill and Noel Bridgeman.

All plot lines are totally predictable if not contrived. The abandoning father, the bitter mother, the angry daughter. However, it is saved, and this is refreshing, by there being no mawkishness or melodrama.

Poor County Clare gets short shrift and never appears, Isle of Man and Northern Ireland stand in for it.

I don't know what the reasons for not filming it in today were. There are frequent references to the Beatles to remind us it is taking place in the sixties. But I know for a fact that a Clare man married five times in England and returning to County Clare in the sixties would have been met by the priest and run out of town on a rail as giving bad example to the young ones.

Also the single mother lying about her marital status (a widow), that was never clear, did she invent a man who died and a name for herself and her daughter? I don't like plot holes likes this. With such a simple storyline these should have been tightened up.

The ceili band and actors were badly out of synch in some of the scenes, feet tapping hopelessly out of rhythm. But that said all in all it was a pleasant little froth of a thing with lovely music.

7 out of 10.