Black Irish

source: Black Irish

I'd heard about this movie in an interview Emily Van Camp did at the time she joined the show Sons And Daughters,so when I saw it at my local Hollywood Video store on sale used for $5.99,I decided to pick it up,and boy,am I glad I did! This is a powerful and moving film about the disintegration of an Irish-American family in South Boston.First time director Brad Gann also wrote the screenplay and did a remarkable job.The performances by the actors playing the family are excellent to a one.Brendan Gleeson is magnificent as the Vietnam vet father,whose loss of work and descent into alcohol-fueled despair make him a shadow of the man who was.Melissa Leo as the Irish born mother(her brogue is perfect)clinging to faith and tradition shines.Emily Van Camp is great as the pregnant daughter who decides to go it alone.Tom Guiry shows both love and menace as the thuggish older brother.Michael Angarano,as the center of the film,younger son Cole who has baseball dreams is a revelation.10/10

As anyone who has seen any of his work will know, Brendan Gleeson is one of the finest British actors working in the film industry today; likewise, one cannot help but feel that Michael Angarano and Emily VanCamp are two of cinema's brightest upcoming stars, and the rest of the cast equally solid. Although a great admirer of all these three actors and Gann's 'Invincible', I was put off from watching this for an undue length of time by the IMDb Plot description 'A teenage boy (Angarano) longs to win the attention of his emotionally distant father.' - this film is so much more than that. This is not a film designed to showcase dramatic highs and lows - rather, it is a film about the cold, often bitter truths of life living on the fringes of society; and the angst involved in growing up given the expectations of both immediate - family - and wider society. One gets the impression that, rather like the tale of growing up in South Boston achieved by Damon and Affleck in Good Will Hunting, this tale, its characters and their mannerisms are all drawn from first-hand experience; an excerpt of that life. It makes for difficult viewing, but not because of Gann's direction: the story is one of little laughs, long moments of reflection; little highs and big lows; and the audience cannot help but feel the helplessness of the film's characters. It is a credit to Gann, however, that he does not milk the dramatic value of the more powerful scenes to no purpose (take note, Hollywood). My greatest criticism - and not a great one at that - is that one gets the impression that Gleeson was not entirely comfortable with the South Boston accent, and one suspects that this might be a criticism levelled at him unfairly; a simple script re-write might have done wonders to solve this problem. Certainly, anyone who knows any of the work of Gann, Gleeson or Angarano would do well to watch this, although few would likely add it to their list of favourites. That aside, this is good, solid work from Gann in the director's chair, and I for one look forward to more from him.

What makes "Black Irish" specially valuable is the quality of the protagonist, Cole McKay. He embodies a wonderfully believable, realistic, and valuable example of virtue. Popular psychomythology tells us that all teenagers are a mess; as even Anna Freud claimed: "to be normal during the adolescent period is by itself abnormal". The wholly credible figure of Cole McKay put the lie to this claim. He's a person with solid common sense who respects his family and community, who knows the difference between right and wrong -- and is willing to back up his knowledge up with hard, mature decisions. Studies show that 80% of American adolescents experience "generally positive moods and harmonious relations with their parents and peers" (see: D. Offer et alii, "Adolescent and Family Health" 2003). That's fact. That's Cole McKay who's factually & intelligently willing to fight for and to try to keep constructing this harmony with tough love for his messed-up, bad-seed brother, respect for his ambiguous mother, insightful care for his kind sister and, specially, for his wounded, Vietnam-veteran dad. Who's almost lost the best things he's ever achieved in his life. But not his son. Who binds the family with a love that releases, harmonizes, and illuminates those nearest and dearest to him. The poetry of baseball is the key to Cole's strength. Why? The game's coherence anchors his moral values; as Bill Veek once said: "Baseball is an island of surety in a changing world." And, for Cole, it provides that energy of decency which love of the game can still provide.

This independent film is an excellently done drama covering just a few critical months in which all the members of a South Boston Irish family undergo significant changes. Desmond McKay is the brutish, out-of-work husband and father who has become a disappointment to himself, his wife, and his children. Margaret, his wife, is a woman bound to tradition who has become overly self-righteous in her views toward her family and her husband. Older brother, Terry is a brutish teenager well on his way to prison. Kathleen is the daughter and sister who is trying to cope with all the family conflict but who has her own problems as she is pregnant by a boyfriend not interested in his unborn child. Cole, the younger brother, is the innocent victim of all of this turmoil who is a promising baseball player at the local Catholic School and - in the hopes of his mother and priests - a future priest. Cole is delivered a blow when he finds that he must be withdrawn from his private school to attend public school in order that his parents pay for their daughter's entry into a Catholic home for unwed mothers. All of this appears to be extremely cliché, but considered in light of real life, this cliché is an experience being experienced over and over daily by uncountable families world-wide, and to each and every family member, their own personal struggle is far from cliché. What makes this all work is a superior film containing superior acting and superior writing and direction. The thing I really like about DVD's - especially those of independent films - is the insight, through the extra features, as to their making and the "blood and tears" that bring them to fruition. In the extra features we learn that Brad Gann wrote his screenplay based upon the life of his friend Finn Curtin who plays the baseball coach in the film. This gives us an insight to the actual events that lead to this fictional portrayal of a boy in crisis. Added to the script and excellent direction, the wonderful acting makes this film a must-see. Brendan Gleeson is great as the father reaching the end of his life who has not been the perfect man but has retained his sense of humor and irony to the very last. Melissa Leo is unforgettable as the mother trying desperately to maintain the dignity of her family who finally realizes that heart wins over dignity. Emily VanCamp is both heartbreaking and heartwarming as the daughter and sister who has sacrificed her own self-image in the quest for family unity only to find it and become a pillar of strength after she becomes pregnant. Tom Guiry is superior as the object of hate and compassion as the older brother who has become the "bad son." And finally, Michael Angarano steals your heart and soul as the son trying to love all of his family no matter each of their weaknesses. Unless you grew up on the perfect family, you should be able to find identity with one or more of these characters. This is a great family story surely worthwhile of viewing.

An Irish family in Boston is far from tight. Cole McKay(Michael Angarano) is a young Catholic mid-teen who has ambitions of being a pro baseball player. His father(Brendan Gleeson)has trouble keeping a job and putting food on the table. Mrs. McKay(Melissa Leo)is deep in her faith and depends on it to take care of her family. But trouble definitely brews in this family. Cole's sister Kathleen(Emily VanCamp)is pregnant and leaves the house. Big brother Terry(Tom Guidry)is the bad seed and detrimental to the family as a whole, as if it were whole. Drastic circumstances pit brother against brother and Cole must make a decision that suites his advantage to move forward. Not exactly good versus evil here, but it does show the two don't mix well. Predictable at best. Interest does build toward the last twenty minutes of the movie...at least to the extent you care about the characters. This family takes a body blow; but beats the count...barely.

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"

One wonders about the reason for Desmond McKay, the father of the family being at the center of this story, going into the despair he is in, as we meet him. A dominating and stoic wife might be one of the reasons. Frustration at not being able to make a decent living for his family, or just the drink problem that has gotten the best out of his health, or just plain tiredness of seeing life get out of his control. Cole, the younger member of the family is the only one that seems to be in some kind of control. He is an excellent athlete with what appears to be a future in organized baseball. Unfortunately, his world gets out of his control when he is informed he will have to leave the catholic school he attends and go to the same public school as his brother Terry, a punk that is becoming a real problem. On top of that, his own sister Kathleen has become pregnant. The young man suffers humiliation the first day of school as Terry demands the pants Cole had borrowed without permission and has to go back home. His beginning in the new school prove to be difficult. Cole is saved when the coach, who sees the potential, decides to give him a break as a pitcher. To make matters worse, on his first date with a girl from school he makes the mistake of killing her pet bird. Cole decides to ask the owner of an Italian restaurant, Joey, to give him a break. Joey sees an eager young man trying to help his own family. Terry, who is a loose canon had another idea by wanting to rob the place in order to get the money for a new car that Cole had wrecked, with terrible consequences. Brad Gann is the man responsible for infusing credibility to this story of a working class family in South Boston. In doing so, he gets excellent acting from every one connected with the film. "Black Irish", which evidently did not get a wide distribution, or only was seen at different film festivals, was a surprise when it showed on cable recently. In a way the picture gets unfair comparison with "The Departed", and "Gone Baby, Gone", but in reality this is a drama that paints a credible situation about an Irish family in turmoil. Brendan Gleeson, the wonderful Irish actor, makes a tremendous impact with his Desmond. By underplaying his role, he gives life to this father whose own world collapses from under him. Melissa Leo, another great actress, is seen as the stoic mother, Margaret. In spite of being married to a man that has not given her a good life, she has stayed to take care of her family. Life has not been kind to either parent though. Michael Angarano, who is seen as Cole makes an excellent impression. He is a new face in the movies who will go to bigger and better things judging by his work in the movie. Tim Guiry is the rotten brother Terry, a total lost soul without showing any remorse for his actions. Emily VanCamp doesn't have much to do as the pregnant sister. Michael Rispoli, on the other hand is perfect as the good natured restaurant owner that sees goodness in an eager Cole. "Black Irish" deserves to be seen by a wider audience. Brad Gann seems to be a new force to be reckoned with.

"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.

Black Irish is a view on the lives of a family over a period of some months. They struggle with each other over recognition, understanding, love, but always seem to fail. It could be any family, anywhere, with some bad luck. I wanted to give it a 10, but i rate too many 1's and 10's and so i try to think of reasons for deduction when i find something really good. So i came up with that this one deserves a 9 because there is no 'obvious' moralistic lesson in it. Then again, moral is subjective, so passing on this maybe i should give it extra credit, but i cant give an 11. Its just a family with bad luck. The acting of the non-celebrities is great, the story takes you into their lives, their hurt and leaves you wondering of your own family and all that ever happened. What is great about this one is that we are used to pick a bad guy, or woman, that you can put all the blame on. Hollywood usually helps steering you in doing so, but this time not. And that is more real than the designated bad man. One moment you think its the father being the bad man, then the mother, then the brother, or sister, but in the end they all do their little thing and just have or had bad luck. There is no bad man. No one is really to blame. And that is pretty insightful, yet difficult to understand, so i don't think a young audience would appreciate this movie. Its not a movie you walk away from with a smile on your face. Hence the title... Go see it.