Agnes Browne, o Despertar de uma Vida

This is definitely a chic-flick, but a very good one. Angelica Huston's Irish accent is absolutely fabulous (her bio says she went to school in Ireland). Angelica and her co-star Marion O'Dwyer bond very well together; I felt like I was glimpsing into a real true-life friendship. There is a very funny scene between the two when they are comparing their romances that is sure to make even the strictest of movie critics crack a smile. And the 7 children that play Angelica Huston's kids are an asset to the movie.

This is an endearing, quality independent film for those of us who love a good drama as well as some good chuckles! I am looking forward to reading the trilogy novels by Brendan O'Carroll--which was the basis of this film.

I think some of the others who commented on this movie were too harsh...it's not meant to be a human drama of great porportions. It's simply a fun, fairy tale that is a feel good movie. It's not made to make you think about the social plight of widowed Irish mothers in the 1960's...it's made to give you a good laugh and to leave a smile on your face.

And that it did. I particulary like the relationship between Agnes and Marion...I think it was a perfect display of women's relationships, and how they change and grow over time.

I admit I found the characters a bit "oirish" at times, but it was lovely and fun. I give it 7/10.

Yet another hidden gem. As a dealer in new and used movies, especially since I specialize in unusual, out-of-print, Indies, foreign, and other non-mainstream titles, I have the opportunity to discover many films in the hidden-gem category, like this one. Films get my attention when the demand is unusually high. This is no guarantee that the film is a good one, but if other factors are favorable, I may watch it. This one's a winner.

On my first viewing I thought it was a nice little film but nothing special. Mild thumbs up. I'm not sure why, but about a year later I decided to watch it again. I enjoyed it more the second time. Six months later I watched it a 3rd time and it seemed better yet. Today I watched it for the fourth time and I enjoyed every moment of it tremendously. The opening scene is just delicious, and hilarious. Even though I have a pretty good ear for the Irish idiom, I turned on the English subtitles and caught some bits of dialog that were not clear before.

If you are a film student, this a good one to study. It is extremely well crafted. Yes my dears, with no big stars and a small budget, you can make a fine film. The camera work is first class. Lighting is perfect. The colors pop out at you. No doubt Ms. Houston sought to bring her Ireland to life with all of it's vivid vitality, and she succeeded. She squeezed a lot into a small film. Humor, music, romance, pathos, and even a little suspense. Perfect editing. The film never lags. Perfect pacing. Perfect storytelling. Nothing is unnecessary and nothing is missing.

Yes, it is a bittersweet tale, but so is life. We have all been there. Agnes Browne and her brood are good souls, instantly likable. The beaming faces of those kids, ah, they'll steal your heart. That's what makes this movie a winner above all else. It's a movie with heart.

What I want to know is, what's up with Arno Chevrier's hippie-length hair in this movie? It's extremely long for 1967, yet not a single character comments on it. And Tom Jones, by the time this movie was filmed, was way too old to play the 1967 version of himself. By coincidence, I saw an actual Tom Jones performance from 1967 on an Ed Sullivan rerun the night before I saw AGNES BROWNE, and it almost didn't look like the same guy.

Now that I've got that off my chest, how was AGNES BROWNE? A little raunchier than I expected, in a chick-flick sort of way, also very sentimental and predictable-not that that's necessarily a bad thing. AGNES BROWNE is the cinematic equivalent of comfort food; it's not a challenging or particularly unusual film, but if you buy into it, it'll leave you with a nice warm feeling inside. And Dublin has never looked more beautiful on film.

One other thing-if you've seen SEXY BEAST, watch for Ray Winstone (`Gal') as Mr. Billy, the loan shark who terrorizes Agnes and her family. His performance is electrifying.

AGNES BROWNE (1999) **1/2 Anjelica Huston, Marion O' Dwyer, Ray Winstone, Tom Jones

(cameo). Huston, who also co-produced with filmmaker Jim Sheridan and

directs in her big-screen debut, gives it her all as stoic, decent

Irish mother of seven in Dublin circa 1967 whose adjustment to

widowhood takes its toll in her daily struggle to keep her brood

under wraps even as she attempts to enjoy her life as it proceeds.

Straight forward but no real sense of palpable tension even as it

dredges up the themes of death, poverty and an unsteady future.