FOR A WINNING TICKET, GIVE `WAKING NED DEVINE' A TRY.Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Critic Accept the fact that the British film industry will go down in the cloying quicksand quicksand State in which water-saturated sand loses its supporting capacity and acquires the characteristics of a liquid. Quicksand is usually found in a hollow at the mouth of a large river or along a flat stretch of stream or beach where pools of water become partly filled of post-``Full Monty'' whimsy whim·sy also whim·sey n. pl. whim·sies also whim·seys 1. An odd or fanciful idea; a whim. 2. A quaint or fanciful quality: stories full of whimsy. for the foreseeable future. But be encouraged that something as genuinely likable as ``Waking Ned Devine'' already has emerged from the muck. Written and directed by English commercials wiz Kirk Jones, set in Ireland and filmed on the Isle of Man Noun 1. Isle of Man - one of the British Isles in the Irish Sea Man British Isles - Great Britain and Ireland and adjacent islands in the north Atlantic , the movie takes cues not just from the current cycle of heartwarming heart·warm·ing or heart-warm·ing adj. 1. Causing gladness and pleasure. 2. Eliciting sympathy and tender feelings: a heartwarming tale. Adj. 1. little-guy comedies, but also from the classic Scottish community farces ``Tight Little Island'' and ``Local Hero.'' It has charm to burn, something to say and even an anti-moralistic subversive streak. And it has old guys riding motorcycles naked. Doesn't anybody wear clothes in that part of the world? ``Ned Devine's'' most pleasing elements are the personalities inside those well-worn birthday suits. Ian Bannen, 70, and David Kelly, 69, turn in a highly appealing buddy act as two incorrigible in·cor·ri·gi·ble adj. 1. Incapable of being corrected or reformed: an incorrigible criminal. 2. Firmly rooted; ineradicable: incorrigible faults. 3. old schemers whose generosity of spirit is matched only by their greedy ingenuity. Congenitally naughty Jackie O'Shea (Bannen) and beanpole-thin Michael O'Sullivan (Kelly) have been pals all their lives. Considering that time span was spent entirely in an isolated seaside town, Tully More, with a population of 52, there wasn't much choice in the matter. Still, Jackie and Michael are clearly choosy choos·y also choos·ey adj. choos·i·er, choos·i·est Very careful in choosing; highly selective. choos  i·ness n. about the company they keep. When they find out one of their neighbors has won the national lottery, they make like best friends to all, hoping the winner will prove generous to his mates. Is it the local pig farmer (James Nesbitt) whose true love (Susan Lynch) can't stand how he smells? Or is it the postmistress post·mis·tress n. A woman who is in charge of the operations of a local post office. Noun 1. postmistress - a woman postmaster postmaster - the person in charge of a post office postmistress ? The publican publican [Lat.,=state employee], in ancient Rome, man who was employed by the state government under contract. As early as c.200 B.C. there was a class of men in Rome accustomed to undertaking contracts involving public works and tax collecting; the tax collectors ? The crabby crab·by adj. crab·bi·er, crab·bi·est Informal Grouchy; ill-tempered. crab bi·ly adv. Lizzy Quinn? No one's copping to a big windfall, but Jackie continues blowing what little money he has on buying rounds and hosting chicken dinners for the whole community. For everyone, that is, except Ned Devine. The old fisherman hasn't been seen in days. Jackie discovers what's happened to Ned, and it's problematic. He then must enlist his skeptical wife, Annie (Fionnula Flanagan), then Michael, then ... Well, things get mighty complicated. Bannen, whom you may remember wearing ``Braveheart'' war paint, and Kelly, who's probably best known for playing the incompetent carpenter on John Cleese's ``Fawlty Towers'' Britcom, create a marvelously convincing rapport. They quickly make it understood that Jackie's gotten Michael into trouble throughout their lives, and Michael has never found anything better to do than come back for more. Flanagan makes Annie a perfect third wheel, always wary of her husband's shenanigans (she worries more about Michael's than shrewd Jackie's fate should they get busted), yet avaricious av·a·ri·cious adj. Immoderately desirous of wealth or gain; greedy. av  a·ri enough to happily help them along. Best of all, these three whitehairs come at us bearing a full complement of vitality and passion. Yet they're mature imps; experience governs their every move. When real decisions have to be made, real people make them. Neither cartoonishly cute nor grumpy old geezers, their mischievousness masks genuine wisdom. Amusing as these mild Irish rogues may be, ``Ned'' boasts more than character and caper humor. It laughs in the face of the cherished movie convention that the sudden promise of big, unearned bucks can only lead to ruinous consequences (like we'll see next month in ``Little Voice'' and ``A Simple Plan''). While it doesn't say greed is good, ``Ned'' is happy to raise a pint to the proposition that more money can definitely be a good thing. A thing so good, it can actually bring the closest of friends and communities closer together. If British cinema has to exploit a winning concept to death, may it continue to do so with the eminent good sense and cheer displayed by ``Waking Ned Devine.'' THE FACTS The film: ``Waking Ned Devine'' (PG; nudity, language). The stars: Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan, Susan Lynch. Behind the scenes: Written and directed by Kirk Jones. Produced by Glynis Murray and Richard Holmes. Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Running time: One hour, 31 minutes. Playing: Laemmle Sunset 5, West Hollywood; NuWilshire, Santa Monica; Westside Pavilion, West Los Angeles
Our rating: Three and one half stars. |
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