Round Ireland with a Fridge

Having read the book upon which this movie is based I was interested in seeing how the story would transfer onto the screen. I read the book back when it was published (1998 I think) and I have fond memories of the original journey which Tony Hawks made around Ireland (with a fridge). I found the movie to be silly, with far too many clichés and Paddywhackery. A real pity. Also, while I didn't really expect the screenplay to follow the original storyline in exact detail I felt that adaptation was quite dull and boring, missing out some of the fun things that happened and concentrating on a few very obvious anecdotes. To be honest, there's nothing much to recommend about this film. The book, however, is still great!

This is possibly one of the worst examples of culture man has ever produced. There is not a single redeeming feature about this tripe The acting is awful. The direction is pedestrian and awful. The screenplay is awful. Even beautiful Ireland looks awful. If you want to experience a cultural artifact that will make you despair of civilisation's achievements then this is it. Tony Hawks must have mortgaged and remortgaged his house to raise the funds for this as I cannot imagine a single penny being volunteered by anyone who is not currently brain dead and on life support. I see he has made another movie from one of his books. The man needs to be stopped from inflicting this utter, utter plop on the world

The story is of course fantastic and there are some great actors (Josie Lawrence) but Tony just isn't an actor

OK so I didn't get to the end...in fact we couldn't get past 10 min before leaving....wooden acting...wooden dialogue...Now I have to write ten lines to make this review go through, but in all honesty, I've said everything I can about this film. I was expecting to laugh my head off but my partner and I were sitting there in stunned silence as we waited for it to improve. This has to be one of the worst attempts at film making that I have ever sat through, and as a forty something year old from Australia, that's saying something. It took me back to the B grade quality of films that Australia used to produce in the mid seventies...except without the humour.

The book 'Round Ireland with a Fridge' is a great read and its author, Tony Hawks, comes across as someone you'd happily stop to offer a lift to or spend a pleasant few hours exchanging amusing anecdotes down your local pub with. The film attempts to recreate the same light-hearted tone as the book; Hawks is engaging in the central role, coming across as a slightly world-weary individual who is searching for his raison d'etre in the most preposterous of situations. The film never quite matches the subtle humour of the book; nor does it do itself any favours with the portrayal of some of the characters who come across as somewhat clichéd in a 'Father Ted' kind of way (though Sean Hughes is good in a brief cameo appearance). Expect gently amusing rather than laugh out loud but with a fair degree of charm, a fine soundtrack and the likable Hawks as a genial travelling companion this is worth a watch, especially for fans of the book.