Irish Jam

source: Irish Jam

I think this film was very funny, and they were stuck doing some stereotypical moments in the film, but overall I was really interested in their editing. Quick edits, sometimes 4-5 segments right on top of each other within 2-3 seconds. I love that. The editing style reminded me a lot of 'crank' which you may love or hate, but the piece was fun. The emotional reactions of half the actors really felt very realistic, and the parts that didn't were incredibly scripted. It was interesting to see the age groups approve more of this film the younger they were, must be not quite set in their ways. Funny how the film is about that even. The soundtrack was pretty well scored too, and it felt like it just fit. Its good to see the acting talent actually sing instead of be voiced over constantly. The voice acting was very clean and some digital effects had to be introduced, because they sounded extremely clean. If this is all too technical, Ill let you back to the other postings. Also, I think the outtakes are pretty funny. Really funny to say the least.

Fun entertaining movie that brings together hip-hop and Irish folk music. How many movies do that effectively, or at all? I have to admit I love almost all Irish-themed movies and this is no exception. Eddie Griffin is wonderful. His best role yet. Funny and warm and romantic. Who knew? The music in this movie is fun. The plot may not win any awards, but the acting and the characters in the small Irish town are cozy and feel like family. Eddie's love interest and her daughter have great chemistry with Eddie's character. His character really grows during the film, at first very distant and the typical con-artist then turns into a sensitive sweet guy, his facade being broken down each day he spends in this beautiful little village.

This film had a typical and simple plot carried off in a pleasant non-overwhelming fashion. It was fun to watch, went through the usual ups and downs, and ended ... (can't say). If you like a movie that you can watch more than once, this is it. Basically, it is a story that addresses cultural stereotyping at it's core, but the simple love story and fun activities tend to overshadow the seriousness of that problem. There are certainly no surprises in the movie, which makes it good for a relaxing evening with spouse and family. Eddie Griffin does a good job of acting, as does Anna and the rest of the cast. The film also ends with a rather fun video that will make you smile and a few bloopers.

With all due respect to my Irish brothers and sisters, I wasn't too offended by the stereotypes in this movie -- African American OR Irish. It was just a cute film. I don't know Irish accents very well, so I'm going to assume, based on what many of the Irish posters said, that they were brutal. But, as far as escapism -- this did it for me. I love how parts of Ireland look (Damn you 'Quiet Man') and I wasn't disappointed by the pastoral beauty. I KNOW that it's an artificial view, just as artificial as a big, black, loud woman in a wedding dress stalking Eddie Griffin's character around the world. Give this film a chance just to touch you and it will. I'm not a big fan of Eddie Griffin and my only *minor* complaint with him is that this could have been a little better movie with a more skilled actor. Still, there's just a general good spirit that permeates this film. SPOILERS -- For those who see it as hackneyed, of COURSE, the mute child would speak by the end. Of COURSE, the bullies would get their comeuppance. And... OF COURSE the male and female leads were going to dance to some Motown in the kitchen. Sometimes I'm not in the mood for 'Happily Ever After', but these characters were pleasant and the female lead was a great singer -- and easy on the eyes. What was done exceptionally well, in my opinion, was that Griffin (for the most part) didn't turn into Super Black Man and pull amazing physical feats out of his cornhole. The scam was a bit untidy, though. For a central plot point, it should have been a little tighter. WHERE did the $90 million come from that they bated the villain with? And, if they had that much dough, why in the hell would they worry about the relative drop-in-the bucket amount that the town owed? And, as an earlier poster suggested - how does an entire village have one mortgage?

I cringed a little when I picked up the DVD of Irish Jam, it had all the hallmarks of a 'lets send Eddie Griffin to a wee old Irish village and have the leprechauns steal his lucky charms' type movie. However I was sort of pleasantly surprised after viewing it. Irish Jam is a nice story. Basically, a small Irish village is in trouble of being bought out by an aristocratic Englishman, Lord Hailstock (Kevin McNally), who wants to turn it into a theme park called Leprechaunland. The only place in the village not owned by him, and therefore the final piece in his puzzle, is the local pub. The owners of the pub can't afford to keep it and to avoid having to sell it to him decide to hold a worldwide poetry contest which will raise the necessary funds to keep the pub, and present it as a prize to the winner, keeping it out of Hailstock's hands. Meanwhile in America, Jimmy McDevitt (Griffin), a down and out amateur conman, comes across an ad for the poetry contest in a newspaper. What follows is a nice story of friendship amongst clashing cultures in which Griffin is both funny and sweet. The fact that this movie is filmed in England and not Ireland doesn't really make much difference, as the Cornwall setting could just as easily be mistaken for rural Ireland. My main, and big, gripe with this movie is its casting. More or less ALL of the Irish villagers are played by English people. Not so bad if they could all do good Irish accents, but they can't. Some sound like they have been practicing with re-runs of Ballykissangel, others like they have been forced to watch the Commitments over and over. It ends up like a mismatch of Dublin, Belfast and Kerry accents and wannabe Irish accents. How hard would it have been just to get ACTUAL Irish actors? To put it in perspective, its like having a movie set in a tiny Essex village where the 'locals' have Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Glasgow accents. Or having a movie set on a ranch in Texas where the 'locals' sound like they're from the Bronx, Chicago or even Toronto. Maybe viewers who don't know any better won't notice. But any Irish viewers, or probably anybody who's ever been to Ireland will cop on immediately. All this aside, Irish Jam will more than anything probably leave you with a good feeling in your heart and a song in your head. Albeit song you might want to jig and breakdance to all at once.

You've seen it before and if you have, I certainly have seen too much of it. What will they think up next, I wonder, considering they haven't thought up anything since they were born? Let me summarize it: lovely ethnic community in trouble; evil (or rather obnoxious) guy trying to steal their livelihoods; differently ethnic street punk, accidentally finding himself in the posture of the hero; normal cliché loud smart-mouth, always saying something sounding funny, but which isn't; lovely ethnic girl who is at first repulsed and then attracted by our hero; hero seeming to fail miserably, then succeeding, mostly due to luck. And no, I did not spoil anything, since you've seen it all before. That was my point!

This movie totally was an unexpected Miracle. This movie was wonderful. Beautiful and simply one of the best romantic movies I have ever seen. The director, writers, actors were simply excellent. The fact that this was a modern day movie and not something set way back when was also nice. Braking racial barriers and bringing reality to the screen with humor was excellent. The witting was such that it Made me feel as if I was in the movie with them. My brother told me about Irish Jam, I'm 100% glad that I finally watched it. Me and my wife watched it, and I both agree that its got it all. Suspense, villain, Heroes, Comedy, Tear Jerker and a great original Story line. 10 Stars movie. Good music, good Comedy, all around fun. JEM

A beautiful movie in several ways. Anna Friel as Maureen is lovely to watch as her past and background develop. Her daughter, played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown, is charming and nearly steals the show in many of her appearances. But the real star is the village of Ballywood, which exudes old-Irish charm ... as it eases into the 21st century. Ireland of today is not the third world country of last century. As the townspeople accept and embrace Eddie Griffin's character, their personality unfolds. Great music, scenery, and characterizations round out an enjoyable movie.

This movie caught my attention on Cable TV's HBO. I thought it would be a stereotyped, hyped, overblown character movie and I was absolutely correct - and I was also damned wrong too! How do you write a "realistic" script based upon a young black hustler from Los Angeles running a pub in Ireland? When has there been such an event to occur in the Emerald Isle? So give it a chance! No one really speaks about the Irish as "Ni--ers" in Europe and America. Call them the Fighting Irish, the Lucky Shamrocks, but this movie gave every viewer a new definition of the "Black Irish". So I was intrigued and astonished as the characters discussed this in the village square. Ireland is always romanticized and its traditions are to blame. Every Irish commenter complains about it - and I guess secretly would be mad as hell if Ireland ever lost its glossy image. What's a more "realistic" Ireland these days? I guess it's true that you get whatever you put into any subject. Let me say that Griffin marrying and kissing his costar at the end of the movie made my day! My ex-lover who's Irish married a black man and they have had quite an unusual romance (until he died) so it was entertaining to see ART imitate LIFE and not vice-versa for once... This movie is not a classic. Will never ever be a masterpiece. And I wouldn't want it any other way. Monique being kicked back into a bathtub wearing a wedding dress is not Shakespeare - it's funny! Watching an entire village nearly begging a lovable hustler to stay among them is priceless. My home of America is a true "melting pot" of just about every race & culture, the "land of the free and the home of the brave" - but I'll never see Ethnic Irish visitors being asked by the gangs of South Central Los Angeles to move in nor will I see it occur in Beverly Hills either. Yet I have enough faith in the Irish to see it happen one day to someone visiting like the "Jimmy Jam". This movie is an entertaining, multi-dimensional, comedic, fairytale, about what was never ever supposed to happen and did - against everyone else's say-so and better judgment. Watch it, laugh at it, ridicule it, and then when no one else is looking - love it. It's an original concept.