mark.gibbens

Contemplating suicide? This is just the film for you. It will either put you completely over the top, or convince you that however bad you feel, you might as well live because there are others who are much, much worse off. This is the crushingly sad tale of 5 Irish sisters, each of whom appears to have screwed up any and all chances for personal happiness. Now, stuck together in permanent spinsterhood and extreme poverty, they face economic and personal disaster. Unfortunately, rather than being moved by their plight, I found myself increasingly irritated by their passive reaction to it. Oh yes, if the tragic sisters are not sufficient, there is also the demented, dying brother to cheer things up. Maybe things were really that bad in depression era Ireland. I sincerely hope not. 2 1/2 stars for the scenery and acting.

Without two preposterous, but all too common, movie conventions this film goes nowhere. First, you have good guys (and girl) who are so stupid, so wildly lacking in judgment and so unable to think or act logically (or minimally conceal themselves while tailing someone) that they give new meaning to the concept of "moronic." Second, you have bad guys who are so omniscient, so resourceful and so powerful that they can murder, kidnap, bomb, penetrate the FBI's delivery service,and look evil,etc., at will, with absolutely no chance of being detected. Not only that, but they can also apparently materialize out of thin air wherever needed to advance the plot; and predict the future, and read Jeff Bridges' mind. (How else would they know that he wouldn't spill the beans, arm himself, kill Tim Robbins when he had the chance, credibly warn the FBI, drive like a maniac through miles and miles of city traffic without attracting police attention, keep going after the bus hit him, and gain entrance to the parking garage?) I hated this bogus, lame movie.