Today’s quick review: Waking Ned Devine. Jackie O’Shea (Ian Bannen) and Michael O’Sullivan (David Kelly) are a pair of old friends living in an small Irish village. When they find out that one of the village’s 52 occupants has won the lottery, they set about searching for the winner so they can cozy up for a piece of the fortune. The winner is eventually revealed to be Ned Devine, a kindly old man with no family who died from the shock of winning. Rather than let the lottery money go unclaimed, the two men concoct a scheme to impersonate Ned and split the winnings. But the scheme proves harder to accomplish than they anticipated, and its up to their wit, perseverance, and a bit of luck to see it through to the end.
Waking Ned Devine is a light comedy set in a quiet Irish village. The humor is understated and charming, the characters have all the vivacity and mischief that you could expect, and the movie itself provides a light escape from the cares of life. The two leads have a good dynamic: Jackie is a kind-hearted man tempted into lying for the sake of the lottery money, while Michael is his honest, cheerful, and loyal companion. Fionnula Flanagan plays Jackie’s wife, who bickers with him and frowns upon his scheme but ultimately loves and supports him. The main plot concerning the lottery is supplemented by a subplot involving a single mother (Susan Lynch) and her pig-farming suitor (James Nesbitt), separated in their love only by the latter’s persistent pig stench. These scenes and a few others like them round out the film’s portrayal of the village as a pleasant, companionable place disrupted only by a few disagreements.
Waking Ned Devine is a pleasant watch that patient, attentive viewers will enjoy. It elicits more smiling than laughter, and those looking for a larger-than-life comedy or a complicated plot should look elsewhere. Waking Ned Devine is probably too subdued a movie for many palates, but those who enjoy quaint Irish villages and low-stakes comedies should give it a shot. It is a well-handled, charming movie that will delight the right audience. Those who dislike the genre should steer clear.
7.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for personal taste, with a 7.5 for the right audience.