Waking Ned Devine B+

1998, On DVD, PG-13, 91 minutes

Ten years ago the little Irish film Waking Ted Devine charmed audiences, garnered some critical praise and picked up a few minor awards and a handful of slightly larger nominations, the most notable being a SAG. In the ten years hence little films have lost a bit of their charm but not Ted Devine. The story centers on Jackie O’Shea and Michael O’Sullivan, lifelong Irish friends who’ve slowly become codgers together. They, with 49 others, inhabit an ancient village within motorbike distance from the Irish coast. Shot in the glorious golds of the Irish summer, every scene’s a postcard. The two old gents read in the Dublin paper that someone in their county, which pretty much means their village, has bought a winning lottery ticket. However, no one acknowledges the win, leading to a spree of wining, dining, and flattery as they butter up every possible winner with the hope of sharing in their windfall. Turns out the buyer of the ticket, Ned Devine, passed in his joy, leaving O’Shea and O’Sullivan to impersonate Ned to the officials as they try to procure the money.

Although you’ll probably only recognize O’Sullivans David Kelly (Uncle Joe from the new Chocolate Factory) and maybe O’Shea’s Ian Bannen, this cast is wonderful, perfectly mirroring the small town rhythms and eccentricities that develop in lives consisting of daily interactions with the same fifty people from the cradle to the grave. It’s in these relationships that the subtle allure of Ned Devine is felt. It’s the rare movie that knows exactly what it is and is comfortable in its smallness, a characteristic even tougher to find in people. For that give writer/director Kirk Jones serious kudos. He’s made only one other film, 2005’s well-received Nanny McPhee, but his grasp on the beauty in the simplicity and relationships of life is perfect. Waking Ned Devine is a life-affirming treat and a pretty solid advertising campaign for Ireland. B+