Waking Ned Devine *** (1998, Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan, James Nesbitt, Susan Lynch) – Classic Movie Review 2118

Writer-director Kirk Jones’s whimsical 1998 Irish comedy is funny and has charm to spare.

Lottery fever grips the small Irish village of Tullymore, when it’s found someone there holds a jackpot-wining ticket. There’s one small problem – it’s Ned and he’s dead!  In fact, he died of shock when he won the lottery.

Old rogue Jackie O’Shea (Ian Bannen) decides his pal Michael O’Sullivan (David Kelly) must impersonate Ned in an attempt to claim the money and they have to convince the whole village (population 52) to go along with the scheme.

Bannen and Kelly are superb in this humorous, quirky, disarming comic fable about the true meaning of fortune and friendship, jam-packed with oddball characters and Irish blarney.

Also in the cast are Fionnula Flanagan, James Nesbitt, Susan Lynch, Eileen Dromey, Adrian Robinson, Robert Hickey, Paddy Ward, James Ryland, Finlan McKeown and Eileen Dromey.

It’s a PG but there is some nudity and strong language.

Jones also made Nanny McPhee and is set to direct My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2118

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