The Commitments may be the best film featuring pop music at its core since A Hard Day's Night (1964). It's one more jewel set in the crown of talented English-born director Alan Parker. Parker once said that he'd like to make a film in every genre. The versatility that he's exhibited so far suggests he could probably pull it off, given enough time.

Historical Background: Alan Parker was born on Valentines Day in 1944, in Islington, London, England. Parker gained writing experience as a copywriter in the advertising profession. A chance association with an aspiring producer led Parker to draft a screenplay for the film Melody, though it wasn't until 1971 that the film was finally released. In the meanwhile, Parker began directing television advertisements, shorts, and featurettes. His first feature film for the big screen was Bugsy Malone (1976), a musical spoof on the gangster genre. Parker followed with two U.S.-made films, starting with the superlative Midnight Express (1978). Both Parker and the film were nominated for Oscars and the screenplay won a trophy. Parker returned to the musical vein for his third feature film, Fame (1980), set in Manhattan's High School for the Performing Arts. It was so successful at the box-office that it spawned a television series. Returning to England, Parker directed Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982), which consisted of a visual rendition of a highly popular rock album. Back in the U.S., Parker directed Birdy (1985), a daring adaptation of a novel by William Wharton. It won a Special Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. After a setback with the mediocre Angel Heart (1987), Parker rebounded nicely with Mississippi Burning (1988), earning a second Oscar nomination as Best Director. That brought Parker to the present film, The Commitments (1991). Parker's work since 1991 has included Road to Wellville (1994), Evita (1996), Angela's Ashes (1999), and The Life of David Gale (2003).

The Story: In North Dublin, two young musicians, guitarist Outspan Foster (Glen Hansard) and bass player Derek Scully (Kenneth McCluskey), playing lame music at a wedding, very much want to dump their singer and form a new band. They ask Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins) to be their manager because he's the kid with the best taste in pop music in all of Dublin. He's also something of a born promoter and visionary. He likes to practice in the mirror being interviewed about how he achieved success. Foster and Scully want to know what kind of music they'll be playing. Jimmy explains that the music should reflect their working class roots. "It should speak the language of the streets. It should be about struggle and sex." They're going to be playing Dublin soul.

Rabbitte sticks an ad in the newspaper: "Have you got soul?" Rabbitte's dad (Colm Meaney), who is still hung up on Elvis, has his doubts. A parade of candidates show up but most don't get past Jimmy's front door. "What are your influences," he asks. "Barry Manilow" earns a slams of the door. So too does "Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez." Likewise "Sinead." Slam, slam, and slam! Half those that get auditions are miserable. There's a heavy metal guy, a fiddler playing Irish jig music, and a guy on the Uilleann pipes. Slowly, however, Jimmy pulls a band together. Dean Fay, a sax player, gets added when he names Clarence Clemons as his influence. They pick up a drummer, Billy Mooney (Dick Massey). Jimmy lines up some foxy backup singers, starting with Bernie McGloughlin (Bronagh Gallagher). He talks her into bringing alone the gorgeous Imelda Quirke (Angeline Ball) and the golden-throated Natalie Murphy (Maria Doyle Kennedy). He acquires a lead singer, Deco Cuffe (Andrew Strong), who he heard singing at a wedding. Deco can do Wilson Pickett or whatever else is required. Jimmy introduces the entire group to soul via a Jimmy Brown video, explaining, "Irish are the blacks of Europe and Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland and North Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin."

The group gets a spiritual leader in the form of Joey "The Lips" Fagan, an inspired trumpet player who claims to have played with B.B. King, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Martha Reeves, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and just about every other name in pop music. "The Lord sent me," he explains, "and the Lord blows my trumpet." Stephen Clifford (Michael Aherne) joins up as pianist. He's a polite Catholic boy and a medical student, not much like the others. Joey announces one day, "We are . . . The Commitments" – about the same time that Imelda Quirk's ass comes sashaying down the ladder to the rehearsal site, with the two other Commitmentettes. "What are you bleedin' looking at," demand the feisty gals. Jimmy puts them all on a steady diet of Aretha Franklin.

The band starts off pretty ragged, of course, but gradually begin to develop their sound. As they get better and better on stage, the bickering gets worse and worse off-stage. The band hires a bouncer, Mickah Wallace (Dave Finnegan). He later takes over the drums when the acrimony between Deco and Mooney gets so intense that Mooney has to quit, out of concern he'll break his parole by reaming the obnoxious singer with a drumstick. Deco's behavior is brutish in the extreme, integrating belches, crotch grabs, passing gas, and lascivious taunting of the trio of backup singers. His vocal performances, however, are above reproach. Joey the Lips also stirs the hopper by shagging all three women in turn, causing much dissension in their ranks.

Themes: Basically, this film is about a people obsessed with popular music. For those who grow up in Dublin, there's no way out except playing football or music. And if music doesn't get you out of town, it can at least keep you going in the meanwhile. Which groups or individual musicians you like becomes part of what defines your identity. In Dublin, music and religion provide similar quantities of spiritual inspiration. Parker captures the community involvement in music by traipsing his film's narrative through the streets and the streetcars, backyards and clotheslines. Soul, reconstructed as Dublin Soul, becomes the voice of these downtrodden folks. White Dubliners singing soul might seem a contradiction of terms, but soul can be the music of poor people anywhere. Music, in this film, elevates the life of the people and the musicians, but the closer the latter get to the top, the more their own acrimony propels them into a hell of their own making.

Production Values: The screenplay was written by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, and Roddy Doyle, based on a novelette by Doyle. Doyle was a schoolteacher in North Dublin so knows the language of the locals well. Parker keeps the film fully rooted in its North Dublin locale, showing us a claustrophobic world of poverty aggravated by unemployment, but with a friendly, lively people. He gives us a vast array of peripheral characters, such as Fagan's bizarre mother, a foursome of adorable girls coming from catechism class, and Jimmy's parents and polyphonic twin sisters.

The rap on this film from the minority of reviewers who are unimpressed is a dearth of real story. The characters are developed up to a point but nothing much ever comes from it. That's true to an extent, but my response is that there are plenty of other films that are narrative driven. Here's one that goes for the soul, in more ways than one. There are narrative vignettes even if there's no sweeping arc. What story exists is just there as sideshow. The music is this film's heartbeat, from beginning to end. Then, there's magnificent dialog, composed of salty Irish slang punctuated with sardonic wit and potty mouth poetry. Pace is beautifully maintained throughout. Those regretting that the film's story is not more fleshed out just haven't found the film's soul.

The cinematography is very good. The backdrops are full of squalid details. The shots of the band performing on stage nicely blend close-ups with wider shots from every conceivable angle. Parker arranged for plenty of camera coverage. One warning, however: make sure that you watch this film on the fantastic Twentieth Century Fox Special Edition DVD and not the rotten older full-screen DVD with both poor video transfer and a muted Dolby surround mix. The soundtrack is pretty much the whole ball of wax for this film because it's all about the music. Some of the great numbers include "Bye Bye Baby," "Take Me to the River," "Hard to Handle," "Chain of Fools," "Mustang Sally," "Try a Little Tenderness," and "In the Midnight Hour." This band has an enormous sound and a driving rhythm.

Most of the main characters in this film had no acting experience prior to this film, but you'd never know it. Parker auditioned some 3000 musicians from all over Dublin and hand picked a group who would become The Commitments. The film's authenticity comes from the fact that it's not simply a film about a band pretending to come together, it is a band coming together. Parker got very lucky and found magic. All of these folks realized they were experiencing a once in a lifetime opportunity and responded by taking their performances to the limit. Andrew Strong, who plays the beefy, obnoxious, but exceptionally talented Deco, was just sixteen years old, though he looks and sounds more like a man in his mid-twenties. Robert Arkins, as the band's manager, has the biggest acting part and pulls it off very well. Three fantastic actresses play the backup singers. They're a treat for both the eyes and the ears. Angeline Ball is the stunning blond and Maria Doyle the equally head-turning brunette. Bronagh Gallagher provides the spice of the trio. Ball later appeared in The General (1998). Johnny Murphy, as the older member of the band, is particularly effective. Star Trek fans will recognize Colm Meaney.

Bottom-Line: Disc 2 of the special edition DVD is loaded with good quality extras, though there's some redundancy among them. There're two featurettes about the making of the film plus a retrospective of a "where are they now" variety. There's a charming music video in which Robert Arkins, a fine musician who only got to act in the film, finally gets to strut his musical talents. Also included are trailers and stills. The only extra on disc 1 is a commentary track featuring Parker.

This is a film about the human spirit and its ability to transcend difficult circumstances through musical expression or to self-destruct through acrimony. If you like the sound of soul, you'll find here one of the finest musical treats of the nineties.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older