The Miracle Club

Director Thaddeus O'Sullivan has fashioned a small-scale Irish film that feels as familiar as an old shoe. This 2023 dramedy marks Maggie Smith's last film, and while the role doesn't take much advantage of her sharp-witted feisty persona, her poignant work here serves as a fitting reminder of her enduring legacy. Working alongside Kathy Bates and Laura Linney, she plays Lily, a small town wife and mother living outside of Dublin and still mourning the death of her son forty years earlier. Bates plays her best friend Eileen, herself a wife and mother of six, who fears she may have breast cancer, while Linney plays Chrissie, the estranged Boston-based daughter of another close friend who just passed away. Lily and Eileen, along with their much younger friend Dolly and her inexplicably mute son, convince the local priest to fund a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, as they seek miracles for their medical ailments and long-held crises in conscience. Because the movie was in turnaround for over twenty years, the actors are far too old for their chronological roles, but it's the kind of pixilated movie where age doesn't matter. That's due to the expectedly fine work from Smith, Bates, and Linney, as well as Agnes O'Casey charming as Dolly, the only one of the four leads with a real Irish brogue. Stephen Rea shows up in two brief scenes as Eileen's curmudgeonly husband.

Unusually positive movie of happy endings without becoming syrupy or preachy. Starts a bit slow and contrived, but becomes engaging after the bus to Lourdes departs and a web of hidden relationships and past sins are gradually are explained. Unusual film in that it displays almost an overdose of vivid Catholic imagery. Includes a priest who's a likeable, normal guy. Its portrayal of 1960's Ireland was a fascinating historical throwback. Irish accents were pretty thick. I wish I could have watched with subtitles on because I could not understand some key moments of dialogue. Based on others reactions in the theater, I don't think I was alone in this.

The Miracle Club is a well-made movie about three generations of women coming to terms with the past. As part of their pursuit of healing from physical or emotional wounds, they take advantage of winning tickets for a journey to Lourdes, the beautiful city at the base of the Pyrenees Mountains. Many people, especially Roman Catholics, believe that miraculous healings take place at Lourdes. And our three women have high expectations that they will experience their own miracles.

The movie approaches the story with restraint, and it intimately explores the relationships between the women. Faith and forgiveness are solid themes; consequently, the tone is often sombre and reflective. But moments of humour and warmth peek through, avoiding excessive melancholy.

The best thing about The Miracle Club is the actors who portray the three women - Laura Linney, Maggie Smith, and Kathy Bates. These three seasoned actors never miss a beat. You can feel the chemistry between them. Their characters are well-developed and relatable, and each one of them gives an outstanding performance.

The direction makes the most of the intimate setting, and the musical score is understated but effective, adding to the sombre tone of the story. The cinematography provides stunning backdrops to the drama going on with the three women. The use of colour is subtle and effective, and the story moves along at a steady pace. The dialogue is well-written, natural, and feels authentic.

After watching The Miracle Club, I felt reflective and introspective. The movie's exploration of faith and healing was well-handled and made some subtle points about what it might mean to be healed in ways that were not miraculous but were more focused on forgiveness. Too many people look for miracles rather than focusing on their close-to-home relationships that, if healthy, can bring emotional healing. And sometimes, we need to accept that not everything can be rectified, and we need to accept what we cannot change.

The Miracle Club had the potential to tip over into saccharine and sentimental drama. But fortunately, this is avoided and is, overall, a well-made, well-acted movie with a solid plot and relatable characters. While it doesn't reach the level of greatness, I'd recommend it to anyone who loves character-driven drama and solid storytelling.

Four ladies from Balllygar, Ireland join a travel group going to Lourdes hoping for personal miracles to happen. That's it in a nutshell, but on the other hand it says almost nothing about the substance of this warm and mostly gentle film. An exceptional cast (Maggie Smith, Laura Linney, Kathy Bates, Agnes O'Casey and many fine supporting players) leads the way. These four have a complicated mutual history the threads of which intertwine and finally resolve in unlooked-for mutual forgiveness which, if there is one, is the actual miracle. They heal each other, and that's the message.

Kathy Bates and Maggie Smith do their best with strong Irish accents -- though I was left wondering why native Irish actors weren't picked (maybe the producers just wanted the star power). You might expect that Maggie Smith would steal the show, as she can do with almost anything, but she turns out to have the restraint necessary to make this a true ensemble piece. And it's actually Chrissie (Laura Linney's part) who turns out to be the crucial role in the story. Enjoy.

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Miracle Club, I just knew with a cast that included Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Laura Linley that I had to watch it. I was not disappointed in the slightest.

It is a lovely story about a friendship, past mistakes, love and forgiveness.

The casting is brilliant and as usual Smith, Bates and Linley give magnificent performances.

It tells the story of woman who returns to her home village after 40 years away, to attend the funeral of her mother whom she has not seen in all those years. She is met with hostility from her old friend and the mother of her long lost love.

It culminates with them taking a trip to Lourdes all in search of their own miracle.

I really feel honoured to have watched this film and really did not want it to end.