The Nephew

Initially this film was advertised as being like Waking Ned evine,( another great Irish film )but it is nothing like it. Instead, it was comical in parts, but more dramatic in character development, and really made you feel for the characters. The lead actors were all strong, the visuals were very striking, and the music especially memorable ( I have not been able to find the soundtrack) I loved this film, and to have two boys aged 14 and 16 sit through it and appreciate it, says alot. 10 out of 10.

This story begins in the middle, as it does for the main character, Chad. Gaps in the story fill in as you go and the film is deliberately vague as to how the characters relate to one another at first, so paying attention is required if you plan on "getting" the whole thing.

The performances are strong and the story is easy enough to follow with the added challenge of figuring out why the various characters are so irritated. Chad grows to understand how his mother is really the source of much of the drama.

Certain plot points are very convenient, but well played by the actors to make them believable. At one point Chad accidentally uncovers a big "piece in the puzzle". But Hill Harper plays it very naturally and blends it right into the script before you notice its unlikeliness.

The film moves at a respectable pace that still lends itself to the sleepy, nothing-to-do small-town atmosphere that is required to convey the characters' attitudes realistically.

An easy film to watch for adults, definitely boring and inappropriate for the under-sixteen crowd. Good-natured comic relief is in abundance. Even so, it is a bit sentimental and therefore might be cast off as a "chick movie" by younger boys/men.

I only viewed this movie because it was a previously-viewed video on sale for $3 at Blockbuster. I didn't expect too much but was very pleasantly surprised how good it was. I almost rated it 8, but settled on 7, mainly because the ending was a bit too "neat", and because some of the dialog was very difficult to understand.

Chad is the 19-yr-old son of an Irish woman who had been "exiled" to America 20 years earlier by her guardian, her older brother. He traveled to visit his uncle Tony upon the death of his mother. Once there, he finds a lot of secrecy and unhappiness, and the rest of the movie is about his attempts to get everything, especially about his mother, out in the open. Along the way he, of course, finds love. Very well cast and acted, this is definitely worth the almost two hours to see.

The pace and method of unfolding the story reminded me of Lone Star, but Lone Star is a significantly better movie overall.

I always enjoy the "little sleeper" films, and believe me this is one. It's very interesting to see how sometimes the outside world views we Americans. Nevertheless, Chad seemed accepted by almost all, except his competition....I enjoyed all the characters and the brief glimse into another culture and spent a delightful time there.

The film also shows a life "lost" due to lack of communication, forgiveness, and crowned with stubborn self-righteousness, but just perhaps at the end when all is revealed, a new beginning. Other critiques have noted it was a "pat" ending, but I'd like to think that it was just a beginning... As Chad remarked, to Patsy "Believe it or not, I am Irish".

I thought this movie was a nice surprise. I stumbled across it quite by accident while channel surfing on day. It deals with a wide range of human issues (love, cultural taboos, race, generation gap) in a very matter of fact fashion and worked toward resolution of the primary conflicts in believable strides. I feel it reflects well upon the Irish culture and the performers taking part. I enjoyed it well enough to desire to add it to my collection of DVD's. I would put it on a par with The Van, An Everlasting Piece, Rat, and The Snapper (to name a few). It isn't deserving of academy award consideration but certainly worth the time to view it.