Extra Ordinary

The film was very funny, the plot was heartwarming but the script felt a bit undercooked, the movie had a bit of trouble transitioning between heavy themes to a gag (I'm looking at you Chinese delivery) but apart from a few cringes I had a great time watching this. The cinematography was top notch too! Yup the Irish film scene.

Rose (Maeve Higgins) has given up her calling as a psychic after a terrible accident and is making her living as a driving instructor in rural Ireland. Martin (Barry Ward) is a widower with a troublesome ghost of a wife and an increasingly sassy daughter, Sarah (Emma Coleman). When he asks Rose for her help exorcising the ghost, she at first refuses, but then a well past his prime rock star (Will Forte) decides he needs the blood of a virgin to renew his vows to Satan in order to revitalize his long-dormant career, and Sarah is just who he's looking for; or is she?.... This is a very funny movie about ghosts, lost hopes, redemption and everything in-between; Forte is hilarious as the over-the-top Christian Winter, but it's Ms. Higgins who carries the film with humour, grace and rather an alarming amount of moxie. Throw in some sight gags referencing other horror movies along with just out-there craziness (deer head crying tears of 7-Up - "it's Mummy, she always loved 7Up!"), and this is a film that should get a wide audience everywhere. Extraordinary, indeed.

Comedies so heartfelt are few and far between. The characters are all so real, and deviate exceptionally from the standard roster of character archetypes in these sorts of films and shows. It's funny, because I never noticed how ubiquitous certain personality tropes are in this genre until watching this movie that defies the standards and is actually quite original.

Bonnie and the magpie are the best characters. Fight me. But everyone is pretty splendid in their own ways.

I do wish they didn't feel the need to endorse tobacco cigarettes at the end. The industry has enough seedy advertising without any help from the film industry. Could have done without.

If not for that, a few tiny plot holes toward the end, and the rando ending (which was hilarious, but I still wanted more elaboration 🤣) it would have been 10/10.

But overall, the film was lovely & truly unique! The best new post1990s movie I've seen this this year.

A sweet, good natured comedy about a psychic driving instructor called Rose who has a love hate relationship with her abilities and is followed around by a lone magpie which could be the spirit of her dead father (who was also a psychic). This Irish movie features requests for exorcisms, haunted rubbish bins, a washed up rock star who has a pact with the devil to sacrifice a virgin in order to resurrect his career, and lots of icky ectoplasm. Sure some of the jokes fall a little flat, but there's some superb Irish wit and attention to detail to be found here, the characters are all lovable and hilarious, making Extra Ordinary a delightful distraction. Airdorf Games created a browser game based on the movie's plot in order to help promote it.

I cannot believe that the first review I see says this was boring... not at all... A black comedy Irish in its soul! Very entertaining!