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!

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.

Shy secondary school teacher Brendan is very much a mother's boy who sings in a choir. Out in the pub one night Brendan gets talking to Trudy, a lively young woman and he is amazed when she agrees to go to the cinema with him. When he gets stood up he goes after her and the two go out to the cinema then back to her place. As their relationship grows Brendan begins to suspect that Trudy's late night walks are not what they seem and he gets involved in her nocturnal world.

In two minds over whether to bother with it or not, I decided to give this a go on the strength that many Irish comedies have surprised me by how different they have been from what I expected. I was happy to see that this continued that trend by mixing a weird romance with Father Ted style humour. This humour is best seen in the little things on the side such as the news on TV reporting `an American official said today that Ireland is great' and things like that. On top of this, because Brendan is a big movie fan we also have lots of movie references (none subtle mind you).

Where the film gets a little heavier is the second half where the movie leans into the relationship side rather than the offbeat comedy side. The film lurches a little more as it become serious and it takes a lot of the energy out of it, spoiling the mix. Generally though it is different enough to carry it through the weak spots where the plot suddenly starts to do something of consequence. It really is only in the second half where the plot tries to do something and really falls apart – major plot lines are simply lost (the Nigerian?) until a tidy final credits summary and much of it doesn't make much sense.

McDonald is good as Brendan, shy when he has to be but still shy underneath when he is trying to come out of his shell. Montgomery is lively but her character is not so strong as she is only really noise and energy. The support cast are all pretty good and are rewarded with having the side-jokes to make away from the responsibility of carrying the main plot – Mclynn of Father Ted fame is probably the most recognisable face.

Overall this works when it comes to the Father Ted style side jokes but is weaker when it comes done to the business of the actual plot. Forced to have something of consequence happen the film goes off a little bit and loses it's sense of humour a bit. Having said that this is still funny enough to justify a watch despite some plotting weaknesses.

This one I found quite by accident in a remainder bin and had heard that the great Roddy Doyle had written it. It is a movie lover's delight with many references to old movies. The uptight teacher, Brendan, is a movie buff with a leaning in the art house direction. He sings in a choir and is just about the poster boy for a Mummy's darling. Trudy is, well, the complete opposite, a thief who would never watch anything not in technicolour. There are lots of small scenes that take you by surprise here, many laughs. Trudy and her three TVs one stacked on top of the other, Brendan singing Panis Angelicus at her urging in the most inappropriate of places, Brendan's mother being far from anyone that would have a son like Brendan. The last third of the movie was a bit of a let down, went into slapstick mode, a little too frenetic in parts. Well worth seeing though. 7 out of 10.

Roddy Doyle is a wonderful author, so it's hardly a surprise that his screenplay would be as charming and interesting as his novels are. Those that liked his Barrytown Trilogy (The Commitments, The Snapper, The Van) novels or films, will like this as well. Well cast and well written, it was amusing at the right moments, warm at the right moments, awkward at the right moments.

A solitary film buff/choir singer/school teacher meets a woman haphazardly at a pub. After a rocky start they begin to date and fall for each other. A fairly simple basis, but when you throw in the fact that she's a cat burglar it begins to make things more interesting. Part romantic comedy, part road-movie, all Irish charm, the film was well-paced, well-shot and well-acted.

Especially good was Flora Montgomery who played Trudy. She looked 100% comfortable in the role, and added a really vibrant quality to the film.

For criticism, Peter MacDonald was good as Brendan, though at times he seemed a bit stock/cardboard. This is partially due to Flora Montgomery being so good. As well, the dialogue could have used a touch up in certain places, and I was a little put off by the post-script involving his brother-in-law and sister (I won't spoil it, though it's not really important). As well, the film quotes and scene parodies were mostly amusing, but it got to be a bit too much - Doyle being perhaps too clever at times with his writing.

The one thing above all else that I really liked about this film, though, was the plot was never predictable. Many surprising twists of plot and character that made it that much more interesting. Overall: not as good as the Commitments, but really good just the same! 7/10.