Review of Waking Ned (1998) by Ed L — 25 Mar 2011

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day 2011, I watched an Irish-themed film in each of my Freshman Composition classes - The Matchmaker on Thursday, and Waking Ned Devine on Friday. I opted to watch a different film in each class; having seen The Matchmaker far too many times, I was ready for something different on Friday. As far I can remember, I only saw Waking Ned Devine once before, in 1998 when it came out in the theaters. A shame, too, considering it is such a funny film.

Most people who have seen the film can tell you the story of Ned Devine, the poor old fellow who held the winning lotto ticket in his hands and died of the excitement. They can tell about the plans made by Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) and Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly) to claim the winnings for their small village. What can't be put into words is the phenomenal acting done by Bannen and Kelly. I can describe their facial expressions, how each of them react to the ironies and twists of plot, but seeing is believing. For a person who has never seen Ned Devine before, I would much rather just show the film to them than explain why it is so funny.

The same can be said of The Matchmaker, although I have to say my love of the film has worn a little thinner over the years. Perhaps I have seen it too many times. More likely, after watching it over and over, I am beginning to recognize how Hollywood it is. Similar acting chemistry exists between Marcy (Janeane Garofalo) and Sean (Sean O'Hara) as in Ned Devine, and there is even a good humorous appearance by David Kelly as the man pretending to search for the ancestral roots of Senator John McGlory, but the events are quite a bit contrived. By comparison, the turn of events leading to the town unlawfully winning seven million pounds in Ned Devine seems to roll forward in an inevitably hilarious way, like comic destiny. I can see this film becoming a yearly habit.

I can think of two other comedies I have watched more times than necessary just for fun - Midnight Run and Kingpin, the former about a bounty hunter turning in a white collar criminal for cash, and the latter about a has-been one-armed bowler who coaches an Amish man how to win a bowling tournament. Agreed, these are different kinds of films, but I see a thread uniting them - the underdog having his day by twist of fate. I like that theme, just as I like the idea of winning lotto. By comparison, The Matchmaker is just a silly film about a corrupt politician getting re-elected and people falling in love. Where's the big win in that? As I said, after a few spins in the DVD player, it gets a little old. But in Ned Devine, I can rejoice every time the old witch goes over the cliff, every time the toast is made to the memory of the man who, in dying, shared his chicken dinner with everyone.