Rat

How many Irish films can succeed without resorting to "faith an' begorrah" cliches? RAT doesn't. Veteran writer Wesley Burrowes has written a wildly whimsical moral tale that laughs in the face of miserable, self-pitying Irish drama with his story of the tragedy that befalls a home which the man of the house turns into a rodent. Beautifully balancing the bizarre and the mundane, this is a film that the great Irish humourist Flann O'Brien could have made. The performances are great (including the rat, courtesy of Jim Henson's company) and the cast includes Pete Postletwaite (In The Name of the Father, Brassed Off, etc), Imelda Staunton (Shakespeare in Love, Sense and Sensibility, etc), Frank Kelly (best known as 'Father Jack'), Niall Toibin (in rattling good form as the priest) and comedian Ed Byrne (although his role is a minor one, and, oddly, he doesn't get any good lines). The soundtrack by Bob Geldof and Pete Briquette perfectly capture the mock-horror of the storyline. The details of the story? Go and see it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

When the father of a Dublin family is transformed into a rat, the family dynamic changes not at all! The daughter is still Daddy's Little Girl, the son -- Pius! -- is piously creepy, his vocation to the priesthood notwithstanding, and the mother alternates (as usual) between wild-eyed outrage and sentimental tears. Writer, director and cast all seem to be making the same movie -- a dissection of some of the more peculiar aspects of the Irish "character" with some of the insight of Huston's/Joyce's THE DEAD -- and even more laughs. Imelda Staunton is devastatingly funny as the mother who views her husband's transformation as just the latest in a series of crosses she's had to bear.

Certainly this movie is not for all tastes, and I can imagine that some viewers would be simply baffled. It helps if you DO understand (sort of) why anyone would name their son "Pius." But if you're Irish-American and have mixed feelings (are there any other kind?) about your "heritage," just sit back and enjoy!

This movie is despicable. It's bad-humored. It's extremely painful. It's discouraging. I went to bed so disappointed and angry I thought I'd have night terrors.

It could have been so good! I don't know how you mess up a plot the way they did! The crew had to consist of the least funny people in the world! There isn't a single character and not a single joke.

It's baffling!

First, "Rat" gets extra points for a very original screenplay. The fine acting is what carries this unique comedy, because the only way "Rat" works is if the characters come across as dead serious, which they do. Any decent into slapstick would have been disastrous. Another plus is the unique camera angles giving a rat's point of view. Different reactions of the various family members, to what is obviously a highly unusual situation, fuels this dark comedy. In order for a black comedy to work, it must be outrageous, not mean spirited, and deadly serious, and "Rat succeeds on all counts. I liked this clever and highly original comedy. - MERK

I've always found popular Irish comedies like `Waking Ned Devine' to be either overkill on the charm, or like `The Van', to be overkill on the sardonic wit. This film truly nails the balance of charm and sardonic wit, and it also has an energy that I haven't seen since `A Hard Day's Night'. Bob Geldof –formerly of The Boomtown Rats (!) – was the musical consultant, and the score is mixed with bouncy pop songs in the background that seem to recall the joy of that era. The film opens with a fable-like narration letting us know that we're into the kind of Irish story-telling that is of its past (i.e. deliciously wicked!). Personally, I'm grateful to see this kind of story-telling still alive and not reflective of the new generic Ireland that's looking more and more like the USA. There already is a `Babe' and a `Stuart Little', so why make those films over again? This film stands on its own, and it can certainly entertain adults every bit as much as kids. I found it to be one of the funniest films I've seen in years! The key to much of the humour is in its subtlety. One definitely has to have a love of the absurd in its most subtle form (like one of my favourite scenes, when the desperately ill rat is thrown in the washing machine so it will look nice and clean when the priest comes to exorcise it). The cast is magnificent, especially Imelda Staunton whose personality is more rat-like than her husband, but can switch emotional gears faster than her husband can scamper across the floor. And of course, Pete Postlethwaite does actually look like he's `half-way there already' in terms of his physical appearance. I couldn't imagine anyone else in the role. A sweeter rat you've never seen!