Review of White Irish Drinkers (2011) by Cynthia S — 03 Oct 2011

Cast: Nick Thurston, Geoff Wigdor, Karen Allen, Stephen Lang, Peter Riegert, Leslie Murphy, Zachary Booth, Robbie Sublett, Michael Drayer, Henry Zebrowski.

Director: John Gray.

Summary: In a blue-collar Irish section of 1970s Brooklyn, brothers Danny (Geoff Wigdor) and Brian Leary (Nick Thurston) come of age in a family dominated by their longshoreman father, Patrick (Stephen Lang), whose hard-drinking leaves them scrambling for a way out. As delinquent Danny and dejected mom Margaret (Karen Allen) take the brunt of Patrick's assaults, aspiring artist Brian hides his dreams. But desperate acts will threaten them all.

My Thoughts: "Like so many other films, I went into this one knowing nothing. What I ended up with was a great indie drama. Great acting, great story, and some fun and also intense character's. It's such a heavy story dealing with some very serious issues of alcoholism and physical abuse. It was at times hard to watch or listen as some things were happening. But along with the brutality there was a lot of heart as well. You really start caring for these character's. The bond between these brother's is something special. Danny goes to great lengths to protect Brian. The film definitely brought laughter and some tears. Nick Thurston was charming and funny and just so likable that he reels you in. He did a great job in the movie. Geoffrey Wigdor as Danny was great as well. The whole cast was great. The critics hated it but I of course loved it. For me, it's a must see for sure.".