Brendan & Trudy

Roddy Doyle has a well deserved reputation as a fine author, whose (very funny) books are grounded firmly in acute social observation. It's therefore something of a surprise that for this, his first film script, he chose to knock out such a whimsical comedy, packed with daft jokes, wacky plot, knowing film references, and occasional moments of pertinent satire. Realised with brio by director and cast, the result is a film that is flimsy, unpretentious, and hilarious. Watch it and cheer yourself up!

For his first original screenplay Roddy Doyle subverts the romantic comedy genre and still manages to write a film that appeals to both subversives and rom com fans.

Roddy Doyle was a teacher who loved music and film, just like Brendan, but it would be a mistake - and libellous - to read this as autobiography. In a typical opposites attract tale Brendan is an innocent devoted to singing hymns and cinema, while Trudy is a not-so-innocent with a mysterious night life.

This film is as much of a love story with cinema as it is a love story between Brendan and Trudy. The opening echoes Sunset Boulevard's opening and other films also feature - although budgetary constraints meant that Doyle's wish list of films to license couldn't be granted. The quoting of films both visually and verbally has the potential to get on your nerves but here it is wonderfully and wittily done and always relevant to the story. Although, to be honest, the A Bout De Souffle sequence does push it just a bit too far. Watch out also for fake film posters and titles in the background which give a sly hilarious comment about film.

The eponymous leads are wonderfully played by Peter McDonald and Flora Montgomery and according to the director he had to argue to the financiers to allow Montgomery to have the role as she wasn't famous enough. If a brilliant screenplay by one of the world's most popular writers needs stars to get it made then the world has indeed gone mad.

When Brendan Met Trudy is very funny and has a good compelling story that will surprise. It is highly recommended.

I thought that this film from start to finish was just great fun. It was a simple romance with many far from simple situations. It had a great unique brand of humor that many Irish films possess. Its take off on many classic movies were great, my favorite was A Bout De Souffle , then breaking into Irish and the John Wayne thought the doorway scene. I don't think that Roddy Doyle tried too hard, he just seems to let it flow. Its fun, try it.

Watched this on BBC2 last night.Still chuckling on Sunday morning.Completely square,choir-singing young school teacher meets dishy,wacky ,feisty blonde.Highlight of the film is when Brendan sings Iggy Pop's "The Passenger" to his classroom full of bemused kids.Well he does sing it in an over the top operatic style somewhat like a drunk singing "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen".Superb.References to famous films abound from steals from "The Producers" to scenes appropriated from art house French films with sub-titles in Gaelic!Do yourself a favour and find a copy of this film.

With all of the other forgettable romantic comedies being marketed in America right now, it's about time a little Irish indie film comes along and shows Hollywood how it should be done. It's about a schoolteacher named Brendan (Peter McDonald from `The Opportunists') who falls for a mysterious Montessori teacher named (can you guess…?) Trudy (the virtually unknown Flora Montgomery), who turns his normal life of hymns and film upside down in an `opposites attract' themed film. The difference between this and the similar `Sweet November' is that the characters are interesting and likeable, and bounce off of each other unlike Charlize Theron and that block-of-wood-of-an-actor Keanu Reeves. The script, written by Roddy Doyle (`The Commitments'), is beautifully sprinkled by re-enactments of scenes from classic films like `Sunset Boulevard', that give the Brendan's passion for cinema a little believability. Also, his singing throughout (don't worry…it's not a musical!) fleshes out his passion for the hymns he sings in his choir. They meet at a pub and while Brendan tries to introduce her to film and family, Trudy leads him into her world of wild parties and crime, which has a serious effect of his teaching ability. Apparently, director Kieron J. Walsh had to fight to secure McDonald and Montgomery in the lead roles, as they lack star power, but it looks as though it turned out to be a good move. While it will never surpass the popularity of, say, `When Harry Met Sally', it will be remembered by true movie lovers a little better than it saccharine-coated competitors.