Tara Road

Given that I have read the book (at least once) and loved it, I felt that this made the transition to the Big Screen fairly painlessly, after all it was a Big Book and time is limited. I went with someone who had not it, and we both enjoyed the film. I didn't find the acting hammy nor the shortcuts overly intrusive. A six-part drama would have covered all points better obviously but this movie told the tale adequately, the characters were all well-drawn and the mood of the book translated well onto the screen. I loved that we could get the ambiance of each home quickly and the circle of friends that each woman had. The kids were great - my only criticism would perhaps be that Danny was not quite smooth enough; it was hard to fall for his legendary charm.

One of Maeve Binchey's most popular novels, complete with a useful American angle, this was an obvious choice for the big screen. However, the story of two women (one Irish, one American) who house-swap makes for a difficult transition in practice. Quite a long novel, it also compresses awkwardly, losing much of its charm and intelligence along the way. The film is not helped by lack-lustre central performances. MacDowell seems out of practice, and Williams (almost invariably seen hitherto in starchy British roles) does not make a convincing Irish housewife. Her emoting seems brittle (even shrill) and she seems uncomfortable with emotion generally. Overall the film looks good and is well filmed, but does not hold the attention except perhaps for die-hard Binchey fans, many of whom will be disappointed at the inevitable over-simplification.

Andie MacDowell played an American wife, Marilyn Vine, and Olivia Williams played Ria, the Irish wife and mother. Marilyn loses her son tragically on his fifteenth birthday. Her marriage falls apart as well. By chance, Ria and Marilyn connect by telephone and decide to swap houses in Connecticut and Ireland. Marilyn goes to Ireland and tries to heal her devastating loss. Ria goes to Connecticut in America to escape her husband's infidelity with her best friend. I enjoy the supporting cast especially Ruby Wax OBE as Carlotta; Stephen Rea and Brenda Fricker. It is the kind of film made for Lifetime and Hallmark channel. If you enjoyed the novel, you will enjoy the movie adaptation.

Have you ever been so lost you wanted to run away? If you envied Diane Lane's impulsive move to Italy in Under the Tuscan Sun, you'll probably love Andie MacDowell's vacation to Ireland in Tara Road.

Before the much more popular The Holiday, two women swap homes to help each other get over a personal hurdle. Olivia Williams, from Ireland, just got dumped by her husband, Iaian Glen, and travels to America to get her groove back. Andie MacDowell lost her young son in a tragic accident, and she thinks a change of scenery will help. Just like The Holiday, both women make new friends in their new houses and blossom in their new environments. While Olivia's scenes are a bit lighter and full of the fun her character needs, Andie's scenes are a bit darker. She meets Stephen Rea, who helps her deal with her grief and see light at the end of the tunnel. There are so many similarities between the two house-swapping movies, that if you liked one, it's a safe bet you'll like the other. Rent either one with a bunch of girlfriends and have a good time!

Been really wanting to see this movie and it is just being released in North America now so here is my review...

The good - Anything by Maeve Binchy has to be great. Love her work. Her stories, her characters. Really liked "Danny" - he was just as I had imagined him. Also liked "Colm" and "Mona". Loved the scenery of Dublin and seeing what Tara Road looked like. The house is beautiful. Have always liked Andie McDowell... more on that later. The movie is good if taken on its own merit as a story on its own.

The bad - The characters of Ria, Rosemary and Marilyn were just not right. In the book Ria has curly unruly hair and undergoes more of a transformation in Ireland. Marilyn is supposed to be uptight and with short hair... didn't get that here. Rosemary is supposed to be gorgeous - again, not here. Many of the US characters seem more like caricatures than anything. And Andy Vine looks terrible - why would anyone find him attractive compared to Danny?

The ugly - it just differed from the book too much. The book is great and I wanted to see it put on film. This was different, in the same way Circle of Friends was different. If you are a Maeve Binchy fan you will enjoy seeing this on the screen, but it is not the Tara Road I read and loved.