Irish Charm Will Enchant Audiences
Ned Devine is Magical

We've all wondered at one time or another what it would be like to win the lottery, but for the village of Tulaigh Morh (pronounced Tulley More) the situation has become reality. Someone in the small town (population 52) has just become rich, and two enterprising old men set out to find out who. Waking Ned Devine is a light-hearted story of cunning, deceit, and humorous shenanigans set in the beautiful hills of Ireland.

When Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) reads the news that someone in their town has won the lottery, he and his best friend Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly) set out to find the lucky person and get in his or her good graces. After questioning all the townspeople, however, they soon discover the only person unaccounted for.

Jackie makes a trip to Ned Devine's cottage and finds the man lying dead, winning lottery ticket in hand. Because Ned signed the ticket before he died, Jackie and Michael have to decide just how far they will go to claim the prize.

Combining humor and sadness, defeat and victory, Waking Ned Devine is filled with entertainment. Every obstacle along the road to the winning lottery ticket makes it that much more desired. The story is fairly straightforward, but it has one or two small twists to keep it interesting.

If the crazy story were not enough, the people of Tulaigh Morh are as eccentric as they are endearing, from the poor pig farmer Finn (James Nesbitt), to Maggie (Susan Lynch) the woman who loves him but can't stand the smell to be near him. Maggie's son Maurice is a soft-spoken, intelligent boy, who enjoys conversing with the town priest. Jackie's wife, Annie (Fionnula Flanagan), is a stubborn, yet loving, woman who fears something may go wrong with Jackie's scheme.

Waking Ned Devine is a wonderful movie, filled with good humor, spirit, and hope. The story and characters are simple, but I recommend it.

MY RATING: 7 out of 10.

RATED: PG
RUN TIME: 91 min.

Search FilmGuru.Net

Add to iGoogle
Add to Google