The Nephew

I always enjoy the "little sleeper" films, and believe me this is one. It's very interesting to see how sometimes the outside world views we Americans. Nevertheless, Chad seemed accepted by almost all, except his competition....I enjoyed all the characters and the brief glimse into another culture and spent a delightful time there.

The film also shows a life "lost" due to lack of communication, forgiveness, and crowned with stubborn self-righteousness, but just perhaps at the end when all is revealed, a new beginning. Other critiques have noted it was a "pat" ending, but I'd like to think that it was just a beginning... As Chad remarked, to Patsy "Believe it or not, I am Irish".

This is a neat little story that gives a new twist to the returning Irish diaspora. Although it an entertaining and somewhat lightweight yarn, it does ask a few questions of the main characters and their attitudes to love and hate. A fine performance from Donal McCann as you would expect. And Pierce Brosnan is good not only as the protective father nursing his inner pain but also as the producer of the film. He could easily rest on his 007 laurels but instead he likes to use his box-office clout to help make movies that might not otherwise be made. Yes, the film is easy to watch but no less deserving because of it.

This story begins in the middle, as it does for the main character, Chad. Gaps in the story fill in as you go and the film is deliberately vague as to how the characters relate to one another at first, so paying attention is required if you plan on "getting" the whole thing.

The performances are strong and the story is easy enough to follow with the added challenge of figuring out why the various characters are so irritated. Chad grows to understand how his mother is really the source of much of the drama.

Certain plot points are very convenient, but well played by the actors to make them believable. At one point Chad accidentally uncovers a big "piece in the puzzle". But Hill Harper plays it very naturally and blends it right into the script before you notice its unlikeliness.

The film moves at a respectable pace that still lends itself to the sleepy, nothing-to-do small-town atmosphere that is required to convey the characters' attitudes realistically.

An easy film to watch for adults, definitely boring and inappropriate for the under-sixteen crowd. Good-natured comic relief is in abundance. Even so, it is a bit sentimental and therefore might be cast off as a "chick movie" by younger boys/men.

A spirited young man from New York, Chad (played by Hill Harper, very worth your notice), takes a trip to an island off the coast of Ireland. This after the death of his only remaining parent, to fulfill a promise to meet his estranged uncle: he is a local man full of his own ideas about how life should be lived, for himself as well as others.

They embark on a personal journey full of challenges, surprises, family secrets and an uncertainty as to whether or not they will ever find common ground.

All of the main characters have been convincingly developed and they each have something conceivable and worthy to offer. This may not have been a super-high budget film but the acting is superb. Pierce Brosnan (one of the producers) gives a generous and compelling performance as the conflicted, village bar owner trying to balance parenthood and an amended life from behind the stone wall of a guarded heart. Veteran actor, Donal McCann, in one of his final performances, adds an authentic and credible edge as our protagonist's uncle. Sinead Cusak, Phelim Drew, Niall Tobin, Lorraine Pilkington and Aislin McGuckin also deliver command performances as the villagers that are comprised of both the kindred and not-so-kindred spirits in Chad's new world.

The soundtrack is a compilation of beautiful Irish ballads, old soul and rock as well as various and sundry other scores that lend a tight musical canvas against which this story is painted. It was disappointing to learn that there are no plans to make this soundtrack into an album that could be purchased.

What keeps me coming back to this sweet and gallant movie is its soulfulness and honesty. The map of the human heart is ultimately universal and the characters in this story endeavor to draw their own lines to determine what defines friendship, family and honor.

This is a wonderful, interesting and thoughtfully structured comfort film. It begs to be watched from your favorite easy chair on a cozy day - with feet up, your favorite afghan and a warm cup of tea and favorite cookies nearby.

I thought this movie was a nice surprise. I stumbled across it quite by accident while channel surfing on day. It deals with a wide range of human issues (love, cultural taboos, race, generation gap) in a very matter of fact fashion and worked toward resolution of the primary conflicts in believable strides. I feel it reflects well upon the Irish culture and the performers taking part. I enjoyed it well enough to desire to add it to my collection of DVD's. I would put it on a par with The Van, An Everlasting Piece, Rat, and The Snapper (to name a few). It isn't deserving of academy award consideration but certainly worth the time to view it.