Black Irish
3/4
Starring: Michael Angarano, Brendan Gleeson, Tom Guiry, Melissa Leo, Emily VanCamp
Rated R for Some Language and Brief Violence
They always say that you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family. I think that the McKays would agree with that sentiment.
The McKays are a broken family living in South Boston. None of them are happy in the slightest, and as a family, they're broken beyond repair. Desmond (Gleeson) is a failed ball player who turned to alcohol when his dreams fizzled out, and now carries a secret from his family. Margaret (Leo) is a devout Catholic whose attempts to do the right thing do more harm than good. Oldest son Terry (Guiry) is an out of control menace who's going to end up dead or in jail (whichever comes first). Katie (VanCamp) is pregnant and unmarried. And Cole (Angarano), the youngest son, is simply trying to keep his head above water.
There's really not much of a plot to this movie. It's not that kind of a movie. What it is is an examination of a family on the brink of disaster. These are all good people (even Terry has his moments), but with so many problems, it's not nearly enough. Having your heart in the right place doesn't mean much with issues like these.
The acting is on solid ground. Michael Angarano, who has yet to give a bad performance, is terrific as the protagonist. Cole is the boy next door, which makes him an easy window into this story. He only has to smile for us to form an instant bond with him. Cole is struggling to find his way in the world, but his turbulent family life could send him down Terry's path. While Cole is too good of a kid to become like his brother, I see what they meant. Tom Guiry is also in top form as Terry. Terry is the walking definition of the term "problem child." He's a bully, prone to violence and has a long criminal history. He does some reprehensible things, but he's not a bad person. He's been given the short end of the stick so often that he's given up. Clearly, he needed therapy from an early age at least. Guiry makes Terry into a person we fear but understand. He's so good that it's hard to believe that he played the hapless dork Smalls in "The Sandlot." Emily VanCamp is also good as Katie, although she doesn't have as much to do (partly due to her lack of screen presence).
The two established actors, Brendan Gleeson and Melissa Leo, are surprisingly the weakest. Both of them struggle with their accents and have scenes that strike the wrong note. But they are effective overall.
Sometimes it's obvious if a project is personal to a filmmaker. "Schindler's List" is a good example. While "Black Irish" is nowhere near that level of greatness (nor does it aspire to be), it has such a ring of truth that it had to come from personal experience and a place of passion. This was writer Brad Gann's first time behind the camera (and the third screenplay he wrote, although it was the second one filmed). It has a ring of authenticity that few films have. While the film has its rough spots, it works overall. Gann inserts some surprisingly effective comedy into the film (two scenes, one involving a "birds and the bees" discussion and the other involving a bird, had me laughing out loud), which keeps things from becoming too intense (although the R-rating is inexplicable...I've seen PG movies that are more explicit).
Sadly, there's really not much of an audience for this movie. It's definitely flawed, and the characters aren't always the most likable people, but it is well-acted and I'm not at all unhappy that I saw this movie (twice, in fact).
Starring: Michael Angarano, Brendan Gleeson, Tom Guiry, Melissa Leo, Emily VanCamp
Rated R for Some Language and Brief Violence
They always say that you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family. I think that the McKays would agree with that sentiment.
The McKays are a broken family living in South Boston. None of them are happy in the slightest, and as a family, they're broken beyond repair. Desmond (Gleeson) is a failed ball player who turned to alcohol when his dreams fizzled out, and now carries a secret from his family. Margaret (Leo) is a devout Catholic whose attempts to do the right thing do more harm than good. Oldest son Terry (Guiry) is an out of control menace who's going to end up dead or in jail (whichever comes first). Katie (VanCamp) is pregnant and unmarried. And Cole (Angarano), the youngest son, is simply trying to keep his head above water.
There's really not much of a plot to this movie. It's not that kind of a movie. What it is is an examination of a family on the brink of disaster. These are all good people (even Terry has his moments), but with so many problems, it's not nearly enough. Having your heart in the right place doesn't mean much with issues like these.
The acting is on solid ground. Michael Angarano, who has yet to give a bad performance, is terrific as the protagonist. Cole is the boy next door, which makes him an easy window into this story. He only has to smile for us to form an instant bond with him. Cole is struggling to find his way in the world, but his turbulent family life could send him down Terry's path. While Cole is too good of a kid to become like his brother, I see what they meant. Tom Guiry is also in top form as Terry. Terry is the walking definition of the term "problem child." He's a bully, prone to violence and has a long criminal history. He does some reprehensible things, but he's not a bad person. He's been given the short end of the stick so often that he's given up. Clearly, he needed therapy from an early age at least. Guiry makes Terry into a person we fear but understand. He's so good that it's hard to believe that he played the hapless dork Smalls in "The Sandlot." Emily VanCamp is also good as Katie, although she doesn't have as much to do (partly due to her lack of screen presence).
The two established actors, Brendan Gleeson and Melissa Leo, are surprisingly the weakest. Both of them struggle with their accents and have scenes that strike the wrong note. But they are effective overall.
Sometimes it's obvious if a project is personal to a filmmaker. "Schindler's List" is a good example. While "Black Irish" is nowhere near that level of greatness (nor does it aspire to be), it has such a ring of truth that it had to come from personal experience and a place of passion. This was writer Brad Gann's first time behind the camera (and the third screenplay he wrote, although it was the second one filmed). It has a ring of authenticity that few films have. While the film has its rough spots, it works overall. Gann inserts some surprisingly effective comedy into the film (two scenes, one involving a "birds and the bees" discussion and the other involving a bird, had me laughing out loud), which keeps things from becoming too intense (although the R-rating is inexplicable...I've seen PG movies that are more explicit).
Sadly, there's really not much of an audience for this movie. It's definitely flawed, and the characters aren't always the most likable people, but it is well-acted and I'm not at all unhappy that I saw this movie (twice, in fact).
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