A co-worker and I were discussing soundtracks one day and she mentioned one from the movie Waking Ned Devine. I'd never seen the movie, but after her little synopsis and listening to the soundtrack, I thought it might be a good idea to.

Jackie O'Shea plays the lottery but he's never won, likewise with his best friend Michael O'Sullivan. Then Jackie finds out that someone from his little town (and when I say little, I mean a place with a population of 32) won the lottery and holds a small party for those they believe are most likely to have won. But once the party's over, Jackie and his wife are still clueless-or are they? With one chicken leg left on the plate, they realize Ned Devine was missing from the party. When Jackie goes to visit Ned, he discovers him dead, still in front of the television. Poor Ned has died from the shock of winning. Now Jackie is determined that they get the money and it'll take the cooperation of the entire town to pull it off.

The movie is quite simple without a whole lot of things to get in Jackie and Michael's way. But that's what the movie is all about-a simple storyline with characters you can relate to and engage with. They're likeable and you want them to succeed. What surprised me the most was that the movie starred two older men (Ian Bannen as Jackie and David Kelly as Michael were both in their 70s). Why is that? Let's face it-most movies use young men or middle-aged men for their protagonists. I'd seen the character Finn (James Nesbitt) and thought he was going to be the main guy. But that's what made it refreshing, these two older gentleman bouncing around on their little patch of Ireland trying to pull of a huge scam. Who knew? The best part of the movie was Michael's ride which involved a naked Michael and a motorcycle. I'll let you try to figure that out.

You get a lot of the townspeople's stories, however brief, from the love story between Finn and Maggie to the old witch Lizzy Quinn. You get who they are and what's going on right away. It's more of a slice of life on the quirky side than anything else. It's a movie without computer graphics, crazy stunts, sex, violence, or swearing (or very little swearing anyway). It's a prime example of the "feel good" movie and only about 90 minutes long.

Another thing I really liked is that when Jackie discovers Ned and then returns to tell his wife, it isn't his first thought to scam the lotto people and take the money. This isn't a crazy heist movie. Instead he's truly sad that Ned has died and he and his wife prey for Ned and go to bed without a second thought. I don't want to generalize, but I thought that if movie with this sort of a plot were made in America, the characters wouldn't think twice about the guy being dead and immediately switch over to getting the money. Wow, how stereotypical is that? And I'm American. Sorry country of mine (or is it more that the Hollywood types would stoop to this?).

Anywho, it's a good movie with great characters, a happy ending, and beautiful music. If you're ever at a loss when you're at the movie rental place, see if you can find this movie. Then just curl up on the couch and have fun.

NT

Like the movie? Enjoy the music? Then get the soundtrack!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day