Starring: Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan, Susan Lynch, James Nesbitt Directed By: Kirk Jones (III) Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: DVD Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC Label: 20th Century Fox Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Letterbox Region Code: 1 Release Date: June 01, 1999 Running Time: 91 minutes Theatrical Release Date: November 20, 1998
Description: When Ned Devine dies from shock after winning the lottery, two longtime friends, Micheal and Jackie, discover the body and agree Ned would want them to benefit from his good luck. They embark upon an outrageous scheme to claim the ticket but first they have to get all the townsfolk to go along with their plan!
Amazon.com: When local wag Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) discovers that one of his neighbors in the village of Tulaigh Mohr is a lottery winner he sees a chance to share in the wealth. Things get complicated when Jackie and his pal Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly) discover that the winner, Ned Devine, died of shock at the very moment he learned of becoming a millionaire. Undaunted, Jackie and Michael dispose of the lucky stiff and hatch a plot to impersonate him and claim the prize. Soon the whole village is involved and the plot rapidly thickens.
This film has been compared to The Full Monty, but it lacks the vein of desperation that added depth to that film. Instead, Waking Ned Devine is closer in tone to classic British comedies like Whisky Galore!, with its cast of eccentrics gleefully conspiring to outwit the authorities. Those with a low tolerance for twinkly eyed Irish charm might be tempted to steer clear, although the movie is saved, for the most part, by its central performances. Bannen is superb as an old man who is clearly hungry for any excitement he can drum up and David Kelly is remarkable as his scrawny sidekick. Kelly has had a long career as a character actor in film and television, but here he has a chance to really let loose. His naked motorcycle ride is a marvelous set piece and in all of his other scenes his twitchy, perfectly timed performance quite simply steals the movie. --Simon Leake
Beautiful scenery from Cregneash, IOM The story line is of a small village in Ireland; however, filming was actually performed on the Isle of Man (IOM), an Island between Ireland and England in the Irish Sea. The town where most of this movie was filmed is named Cregneash and is an attraction point on the IOM where they show how people lived and worked many years ago.
I would categorize this movie as a Drama; but, there are so many comedic elements that it would be unfair not to mention it. I even felt guilty for laughing toward the end of the movie (the phone booth scene).
There is one scene where you see the behinds of two old men. Butt I found this funny and part of a situational comedy that turned out to be hilarious.
[Spoiler Warning] The only bit of the movie I thought was far-fetched and awkward was in learning who the boy's father was.
Other than that the movie was still 5 stars (in my opinion)!
Waking Ned Devine This is a fun movie. Sometimes the dialogue is a little difficult to understand if you don't have an ear for accents (which I don't) but this really doesn't detract from the fun.
Need more movies like this
Good writing, acting and music. This was a funny and powerful movie that they seem to have trouble making in the US anymore?
Simply Great !!! I write this on a night I just watched the DVD again and find myself baffled by the a few of the poor reviews. I must have been watching another movie? This movie had it all...great actors, beautiful Irish countryside, a charming story, and humor too. In a world of simple American TV shows and overdone cop shows this stands out. A quick note on a nay sayer...it was said..well these people are stealing and how about the heir to the $. watch the movie again please! I highly recommend this movie for everyone!!!
Brilliant This is one of those rare films that I'm keeping to watch again, and you'd never know it from the back cover or, in particular, the movie trailer. I watched that after the movie, fortunately.
The writing is spot-on, the acting is first rate, the characters feel every bit as real as anyone you'd ever hope to meet in Ireland, and the Isle of Man contributes some incredible scenery. The movie is sharp, funny, perceptive, and an absolutely engrossing experience. It simply can't be improved upon.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tony's Online Tips
Trevor
