Black Irish

This Boston Irish-American flavored coming-of-age film is extremely typical of any other film of it's type complete with alcoholic father, doting over-bearing mother, fighting siblings, a family in disarray, and so on and so forth. You've likely seen something like it in some variation a million times before. What sets it a tad above films of the same ilk is very commendable performances by Micheal Angarano as Cole and especially Brendan Gleeson as his father, Desmond (the latter is simply riveting) Will this film revolutionize coming of age flicks in any way? no, not at all, but it's a well enough told tale well acted enough to be worth a watch.

My Grade: C+

Region 1 DVD Extras: audio Commentary; a 36 minute behind the scenes featurette; and trailers for "Razor Eaters" & "Antonia"

"Black Irish" is a great film because it has an affection for its setting and its characters. Despite having some tough subject material, it left me with a somewhat warm and fuzzy feeling.

Normally when writing a review, it is customary to give a short synopsis of the plot to let readers know if it is a film that they would be interested in seeing. But "Black Irish" isn't that kind of movie. It's all about the characters, the McKay family. The McKay's aren't doing very well. In fact, their family is more or less in shambles. Katie (Emily VanCamp) is pregnant and unmarried, which causes much friction between her and her mother Margret (Melissa Leo). Terry (Tom Guiry) is a violent, out-of-control menace who is about to end up in prison, or dead, which ever comes first. Desmond (Brendan Gleeson) is struggling to earn enough money for his family while drowning his sorrows in alcohol (one of which being a tragic secret). Margret is trying to save face by believing this family is "normal," which it is not. Caught in the middle of it all is Cole (Michael Angarano), who's merely trying to stay afloat.

Therein lies its problem. Movies that sacrifice plot for characters are not bad, provided that its characters are interesting enough and portrayed with good performances (which "Black Irish" is filled with). But Brad Gann doesn't see his movie that way (which is kind of surprising, seeing as he wrote and directed it). It seems as if he made the film to have some underlying story or theme to connect the stories (other than the fact that all of the principal characters are related). Problem is, there isn't any.

Not that this makes "Black Irish" a bad film. It's actually very good. Credit goes to Gann for creating a great sense of atmosphere, and knowing the meaning of the word "subtlety," and how to use it. Nothing is heavy-handed like a sledgehammer as in mainstream films, yet it's not infinitesimally subtle like some of those intellectual films on the opposite end of the spectrum. "Black Irish" is smack dab in the middle.

The performances are great all around. The best performances go to Michael Angarano and Brendan Gleeson. Angarano is perfect as the conflicted, young man who is our window into the McKay family. The subtlety in his performance matches perfectly with Gann's approach. Cole is our window into what's left of the McKay family. Angarano plays Cole not as a film character, but as a normal kid. It's not easy to do, and because (when done well) it is so like real life, the performances often go unrecognized. Brendan Gleeson is great, too. He shows more dramatic skill than he's been able to in other, more mainstream roles. Desmond is a man who has lost everything, but is trying to do what he can, even if that means sinking to levels that are just tragic. The scenes he shares with Angarano are some of the film's best; his discussions about the birds and the bees are laugh-out-loud hilarious (which is especially surprising since this is not a comedy). The other actors are great as well, especially Tom Guiry as the "out-of-control" Terry, whom everyone seems to have given up on. This is interesting because while this hurts Terry (but doesn't show this to anyone), he doesn't know how to stop his downward spiral. You know the mark of a talented actor if they can create a good performance out of an undeveloped character, which is the case with the other members of the family (minus Cole and Desmond), if only slightly.

"Black Irish" is a great film to watch, and it's a shame that it didn't get a wider distribution, because it's really a great movie. Imperfect, but still well worth a watch.

My rating: PG-13 for some language and a scene of brief violence.

Problems are hurled at the McKay family as if they were in a batting cage with an endless supply of quarters and no bat. This South Boston Irish-Catholic family deals with the rock bottom side of life they best way they know how. Baseball quietly emerges as a rallying dynamic for the seemingly-defeated male McKays in this coming of age story. It has a lot of heart, and there's a lot to like here. My criticism is that there's too much misfortune for one 95 minute story - as if every stereotype in play today had to be included. It moved me nevertheless. I recommend it. It seems to have gone directly to DVD but should have enjoyed a stint in the theater first.

This is a spectacularly well-paced and original drama with some incredible acting on both Angarano's and Guiry's parts. Some interesting cinematic techniques from time to time enhance the remarkable story-telling in this dark coming of age story. The bits of humor also help pull you in to a surprisingly authentic South Boston scenario. With a terrific and spirited cameo by Kevin O'Donnell, alongside a refreshing cast, the characters really outshine the stereotypes right down to the shrimp-stealing busboy. Great sets, a solid and occasionally edgy soundtrack, but what's most impressive is the strong story, which rescues you from the brink of a cliché' time and again. I happened to rent this just on word-of-mouth and can't stop reflecting on some of those haunting scenes. Think of this as a gritty Good Will Hunting with a lot more 'street cred'...and heart.

What an excellent movie. With surprises all around. It would have been so very easy to make this exactly what was expected of it - a mediocre Indie Drama about a typical dysfunctional American family, with this one happening to be Irish and from Southie. What we get instead is one that fell through the cracks, as it went right to DVD. The critics and distributors missed this one. Had someone besides the author believed in it and packaged it right - it would have been a hit. It is well written, well acted, with several unexpected turns toward the Light - by multiple characters facing their own dilemma. The kind of differences that separate the bland from the sublime. I'm speaking of subtleties not the spectacular. So if you go in looking for the spectacular - you'll miss the supernatural. Which is almost always, subtle. It even manages a happy ending, which is tricky at best with a story like this. Well done all.

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