In America **** (2002, Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton, Djimon Hounsou) – Classic Movie Review 761

Director Jim Sheridan’s 2002 Irish movie about of his early struggles in America is sometimes strained but most often a real, enchanting heart-warmer.

There’s quirky charm aplenty in this tale of an Irish actor Johnny (Paddy Considine) and his wife Sarah (Samantha Morton) living a difficult existence in a cheap Eighties Manhattan apartment block.

This blatantly sentimental but heartfelt and eventually moving little film is lit up by the sweet performances of real-life sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger as Christy and Ariel, the daughters of the family, who are all mourning the tragic loss of the family’s third child to cancer, but are helped in their grief by dying artist neighbour Djimon Hounsou.

Considine and Morton give very capable performances and Hounsou is outstanding.

There are 10 deleted scenes on the DVD, betraying some heavy editing of the movie.

Sheridan has six Oscar nominations, including for the screenplays of In America, My Left Foot (1989) and In the Name of the Father (1993).

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Film Review 761 derekwinnert.com