La ballade de County Clare

A wonderful anti-dose to mainstream studio fare. This is a simple, but not simple-minded film that will make you laugh and cry. The performances are superb. Colm Meaney and Bernard Hill are a joy to watch, Charlotte Bradley delivers a masterful performance as the mother and Andrea Corr is a radiant presence. She is smart, direct and passioned. The contagious Ceili music will make you tap your foot long after the end of the film. You will come out of theater wanting to go to the nearest pub to have a pint of Guiness and hope to encounter there the characters from the film! What a wonderful treat this film delivers. Embrace it without any prejudice and you will experience a gentle and sweet ride.

If you like Irish music, that is, traditional Irish music, known to us who know, love and play, as sessions, then you'll love this little film. Colm Meaney, Jimmy, and Bernard Hill, Johnjoe are brothers in competition for winning a ceilidh band contest. Jimmy has immigrated and enjoys a modicum of success and Johnjoe has remained at home. The plot is thickened by the presence of Andrea Corr, Anne, who is Jimmy's daughter out of Charlotte Brtadley, Maisie, JohnJoe's piano player. The love interest is sparked by Jimmy's Liverpudlian flautist, Shaun Evans, Teddy, who falls heavily for Anne and were off the races. The dialogue is lively and the shenanigans are rampant. The payoff is fun and the music..., ah, the music. The music is aoibhinn ta gael. Under the wise baton of Fiachra Trench, the music is grand. Too, Andrea Corr of her own group, The Corrs, adds a bit of freshness to the pot with her perky Irish beauty. If you like sessions, you'll love this one. If you don't, well... listen anyway. The music is tops.

A cutesy make ya feel good movie I enjoyed it just for the light entertainment no need to think point of view. The real downer for me - and this is because I play music - is that none of the musicians in this movie could play anything and it was painfully obvious. Most of them didn't even move their fingers on the fingerboards. I had expected and watched this movie to see some decent Irish musicians playing as the backdrop for the movie and there was none. How much more could it have cost the movie makers to have had some real musicians in here ? They would have loved the exposure and it would have been a win win situation.

Two estranged brothers who haven't seen each other for 20 years meet up for the annual Irish music festival. They both have ceili bands and will compete for top honors in a traditional Irish music venue. The younger brother has been living in England where he has succeeded in business, while the older brother stayed home on the family farmstead. Colm Meaney plays Jimmy, the younger brother. A romance develops between a boy and girl from either band. There's more to the story, as well.

The film has a fine cast, all of whom do well. Bernard Hill was especially good as John Joe, the older of the two brothers. Shooting was on the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, The scenery and pictures of the town and people gathered for the music competitions gives the film a real down-to-earth feel.

"The Boys & Girl from County Clare" is a good light comedy drama with some very good doses of music. The ending is a surprise but very good and appropriate. But for some unnecessary nudity of a young woman going for a swim, and frequent use of vulgar language, this would be a good film for the whole family.

Here are some favorite lines from the film.

John Joe, "It's better to gain a musician than lose a daughter, I always say."

On the ferry across to Ireland, Jimmy tells the band that if they don't win, they will have to walk home. Later, one of the boys asks, "Is he serious?" Another boy asks, "About what?" The first lad says, "About us walking home if we lose." The other boy replies, "Didn't you bring your swimming trunks?"

The Boys from County Clare is a delightful comedy with many dark, dramatic overtones. Two brothers, estranged for years, are competing in a ceili (Irish dance music) band competition. Each will stop at nothing to prevent the other from winning, or even entering, the competition. We do not know the cause of the rift but it soon becomes clear that other characters are involved in it. It kept me guessing: sometimes right and sometimes wrong. As time passes, we learn more about the dark secrets of these characters and how they work things out.

If you like Irish music, then you have one more thing to love about this film; it is full of that music. The cast was well chosen both for appearance and acting abilities. Whether or not they really are, they do appear to be playing the music. The characters appear to be very real and always interesting.

There is considerable foul language and drunkenness in the film but it is essential to the understanding of the characters and their ways. There are many beautiful lessons and much pathos but even more humour in the film. Watch for a delightful surprise near the end.