The Snapper

Sweet, touching but also bawdy tale of a working-class Irish family's reaction to their unmarried daughter's pregnancy. The father character is especially interesting. He takes great pride in his family, with all its imperfections. He tenderly cares for his daughter through her ordeal and holds his head high despite the neighbors' petty gossip. A real "family values" film depicting people of modest means trying to stick together.

"Sequel" to The Commitments in that it follows some of the same characters (as does The Van that follows it), The Snapper is just the cure you might need for Angela's Ashes -- a portrayal of an Irish family that is kooky enough to be interesting, not drowning in abject poverty, and deeply caring for one another. The Curleys are a tad eccentric -- younger brother obsessed with bicycling, a younger sister who paints her face with shaving foam and costumes herself to pretend she is a marching band leader, middle sibs pushing the envelope at every chance -- and eldest sister Sharon, suddenly pregnant and refusing to disclose the name of the father. (pardon the pun.) Ballykissangel fans will recognise this actress as Niahm, the Garda's wife. Colm Meaney gives a beautiful performance as Desi Curley, the dad by turn bewildered and outraged then growing in his acceptance and excitement in the impending appearance of Sharon's baby -- the eponymous little "snapper". Brendan Gleeson also appears as one of Desi's pub chums, with a deft portrayal of a shy and lonely man.

One of my favorite aspects of this film is its un-Hollywood-ness -- everyone looks real. There is no slick, too-pretty feel to this movie. The dialogue is quick, thick with dialect (so listen closely, get the sounds in your ear, or you might miss some fun exchanges!) and funny enough to be real and real enough to be moving. If there is a message to this story (and I think there is!) it might be, "If we love each other, it really will all be ok." I find it to be a touching and uplifting movie.

In the working-class Barrytown, Dublin, Ireland, the happy Curley family is composed by the father Dessie (Colm Meaney), his wife Kay, three sons and three daughters. When the twenty-year old Sharon (Tina Kellegher) discloses to her family that she is pregnant, she refuses to tell the name of the father. Soon Dessie tells the news to his friends in the pub and Sharon discloses also to her three friends in another pub. But when Dessie's friend Lester (Brendan Gleeson) overhears the old George Burgess bragging to his friends in a pub that Sharon is a great f-word, the life of Sharon and her family changes in Barrytown and she learns that she has only one real and best friend, Jackie. And Dessie tries to become a better father and husband than never, learning how to deal with women.

"The Snapper" is an unknown little gem directed by Stephen Frears. The dramatic story of a twenty-year old girl that becomes pregnant from an old man has also funny moments in the life of a working class living in Barrytown. Therefore the drama does not become heavy since there are relief moments. For people that is not native in English like me, the "snapper" in the title is Sharon´s baby. In Brazil, this film was only released on VHS and with a terrible marketing since the genre indicated on the cover by the distributor is comedy, with a photo of Sharon and her friends laughing in the pub. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Grande Família" ("The Great Family")

I, too, began this movie and it had not yet grabbed my attention fifteen minutes into the movie, but I wanted to see it, so I watched. I loved it. I love the plot, the characters and the emotion this movie was able to portray with the need of any "super" special effects. It was a true to heart story, and I laughed (a lot). This movie is one of the most underrated flicks I have ever seen and would recommend it to anyone.

Because one needn't think TWICE to figure out this is not just a movie. It's 90 minutes of pure Irish humor, and good publicity for Dublin. If you like Colm Meaney, settle down and watch 'The Snapper'. But this is such a good movie you can go on inventing reasons to see it. The Snapper deserves respect and cheers for it's one-liners, the sweet Irish accent and the location. Dublin rulesssssss! Roddy Doyle's books must be hilarious, I don't know but the movies sure are FANTASTIC!!!

Give it 9/10!