Un faire-part à part

Great film. One of the best I've seen about families, especially lots-of-sibs families; especially lots-of-sibs Irish families. Have been a fan of Bob Hoskins and Maureen Stapleton since forever and no one could have been better in these two roles. Also a fan of Peter Riegert since Crossing Delancey. What a cutie, and perfect in this one as always. Nancy Travis was absolutely precious and the sane one (sort of a surrogate daughter to the deceased) in this clan. Also became a fan of Pamela Reed tonight. Oh, and the banjo pickin' by Jim Corr, demonstrating again the magic of familiar music, especially folkloric, to bond people together. If you're Irish, this scene alone is worth the price of admission. And one more - David Futterman. Only on the screen the last ten minutes, yet nonetheless, very memorable.

No dull moments and a definite pick-me-up after five episodes of Home Land today (yes, it's great, but emotionally strenuous). Just what I needed and I recommend it highly. Thank you, Movie Channel, for airing it.

When Jack Scanlan, the head of a "normal" Irish family dies suddenly, everyone turns to the oldest son, Johnny (Bob Hoskins) to be the new family decision-maker. Everyone is having their own issues and power struggles within the family. All the family believe Johnny can take over for Dad; however, Johnny can't handle the sudden pressure and decides that it is time for a mid-life crisis. Mayhem ensues as all the problems come to a head at Jack's wake. Before Johnny can handle the family's problems he has to come to grips with his own problems and accept his new role in the family.

This is a very quirky comedy. No surprises but very well acted and the script has enough funny situations to keep one entertained. Not great by any means but I found it worth watching and as I always enjoy seeing Bob Hoskins I was not disappointed. This movie is definitely not for everyone.

A crackerjack cast helps to make this film a fun watch. It's not unusual for comedies to be about dysfunctional families, but with an above average script, and with appealing characters, one can sit back and happily conclude, the family depicted here, is more messed up then is mine. Of course, we get a happy ending, but how it's going to get there is not so obvious. One of the better comedies of the 1990's.

Fun,unchallenging, episodic fluff -- heavy on the Irish ethnicity -- easy to take. All-star cast finds plenty of good material to bring fun to awkwartd situations. Peter Riegert and Pamela Reed are standouts. This is one big cliche accompanied by 15 ancillary cliches, but who cares? Its all in good fun.