Round Ireland with a Fridge

Tony Hawks, a British comedian, actor and author took a drunken bet one night that he could hitch-hike around the coast of Ireland with a fridge in tow. He did it and wrote a best selling book about his adventure. The book tells of the wonderful array of characters he met on his travels, the places he visited, some good, some bad, and how something so normal as a small fridge managed to become some sort of beacon of hope for humanity. The book, in short, is an often hilarious read that quite possibly ranks as one of the finest human interest stories written in the comedy field.

The film is awful. Containing neither the feel or many of the joyous instances in the book, Hawks' film version is propelled by a heavy reliance on romance and a distinct lack of comedy. Skip it and read the book instead. Tony Hawks I could flipping kill you for letting this dirge come out on tape. 2/10

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.

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

Tripe, drivel, rubbish, crap, dross, whatever you call it, it's still the same thing. This film missed the genuine sparkle contained within the book, which was a silly story about a silly person doing something silly. I've (obviously) read the book, and loved it! This tries much too hard to be funny, and as a result, falls flat. Tony Hawks' comedy is minutely observational, and can be cripplingly funny (see his website), so you would imagine he'd be a gifted scriptwriter. This steaming pile, however, is didacticism at its worst. Pity he didn't get his pal, Arthur Smith involved!.. I managed a whole hour, but it felt much longer. It started slow (not a bad thing), and slowed down! TH's career has stalled recently, so I guess this was a way to pay the mortgage!..Turn over, and watch the weather channel instead, it would certainly be more instructive, and may even be funnier!..Better still, read the book!..Here's hoping his next project, an adaptation of another of his books, 'Playing the Moldovans' at Tennis is better...

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!