Il mistero di Jo Locke, il sosia e miss Britannia '58

The owner of a low rent English music hall finds himself in hot water after booking a legendary (but fraudulent) Irish tenor, prompting a desperate visit to the Emerald Isle in search of the genuine article, not an easy assignment since no one has seen the man in 25 years. Maybe it makes a difference that the film was made on the far side of the Atlantic Ocean, but it succeeds as a genuinely charming and disarming romantic comedy without the expected formula plotting or trendy visual hype, and (perhaps not surprisingly) without the box office benefit of brand name stars. The climax is somewhat overwrought, but by then director Peter Chelsum is working from a surplus of good-natured blarney and local brogue, with some gorgeous Irish scenery added almost as an afterthought. And where else can you expect to see a movie hero declare his love to a girl while clutching a whippet?

This is a stunning delightful story of one man's quest to do right by his girlfriend and his community. The Irish humour is great. The writing is tight. The performances are both touching and funny. One to watch more than once.

Gee, good story. Great scenery. Excellent acting. Great music. Tara Fitzgerald unclothed. Well, Tara's nude scene was less than germane to the plot, though I think she's totally yummy. Ned Beatty actually pulled the role of Jo Locke off quite well, not going over the top trying to lay on the old Irish brogue bit too heavy. The Locke vocals were sung by Vernon Midgely, & since I had never heard music like that before, I was knocked out. The trad Irish "diddly-diddly" tunes in the soundtrack are by Patrick Street, one of the best contemp Irish bands you can find. Adrian Dunbar, who co-wrote the screenplay with author Peter Chelsom, was wonderful, as semi-crooked music hall manager Mickey O'Neill. Tara Fitzgerald portrayed Nancy Doyle, O'Neill's "fiancee", & brings the role off very well. James Nesbitt, who may be known from "Ballykissangel", plays O'Neill's best friend back in Ireland. Shirley Anne Field, one of Britain's true beauties of the 60's, plays Fitzgerald's mother, a flame left behind by Beatty's Jo Locke, when he left England as a tax exile in the '50's. I just wish we could get a Director's Cut here in the States, as the US theatrical & video releases list actors(Brian Flanagan as "Young Mickey", Constane Cowley as "Nurse, and Marie Mullen as "Mickey's Mum") in the credits which for some inexplicable reason were cut from the North American release. This scene has to do with why Mickey O'Neill can't tell someone he loves them(i.e. Tara Fitzgerald as Nancy). Rumour has it "Hear My Song" will be re-released on DVD in the UK in July '09....but a US release is still delayed so DVD makers can press more boxed sets of "Dog, The Bounty Hunter", anime, and Hannah Montana(whose "movie" was actually directed by Peter Chelsom, who directed and wrote "Hear My Song") Still, this is a wonderful movie,

I don't think Peter Chelsom's appreciation will grow much today, with audiences and critics more inclined to pyrotechnics, flamboyant styles and cynic approach to mankind's troubles. Chelsom is a skilled filmmaker, but for today's tastes his cinema seems too close to the audience's soft hearts, and that is probably his less attractive trait.

I like a few of his movies: "The Mighty", "Serendipity" as predictable as it is, and my favorites "Funny Bones" and "Hear My Song" which he also wrote. Both deal with a search and possess a frenetic and funny approach to human foibles, and in this case an enthusiastic leading character, as played by Adrian Dunbar who also co-wrote.

Dunbar plays a nightclub administrator who keeps cheating on his patrons, bringing mediocre artists to perform. When he brings a fake tenor who humiliates his future mother-in-law (Shirley-Ann Field, who had an affair with the real tenor), he embarks on the almost impossible: finding the real singer, who cannot step on Irish soil due to tax evasion. Ned Beatty gives the performance of his life (and that's a lot to say) as the singer, leading the story to a moving conclusion.

Micky O'Neill, a sleazy Irish entertainment promoter has about run his course offering pseudo-acts like Franc Cinatra. The Ryan family that owns the theater is about ready to throw him out when they ask who his next performer is "Bing Crosby spelled with a K"?, but Micky O'Neill comes up with the name of Josef Locke and the Ryan's gasp as Josef Locke is supposedly out of the country, because of tax fraud or something. So Micky is given a reprieve until it becomes known that the Josef Locke he has booked is a fraud, Since his girlfriend's mother once had a fling with Jo and has been duped by the fake Jo, Micky has been outcast by the Ryan family, his girlfriend and especially his girlfriend's mother. He hops a ride on a boat to Ireland where he meets up with his friend Fintan, a concert promoter, and the two of them ride through the Irish countryside in search of the real Josef Locke in an effort to convince him to return to England to perform. When they find him, the Irish comedy really begins, and also the Irish singing. The tenor voice is spectacular and when Jo sings, women weep.......