Starring Colm Meaney and Donal O'Kelly Directed by Stephen Frears Rated R, with strong profanity Running time 110 minutes Jack gives this film a rating of 7 out of 10

(Aug. 15, 1997) -- For two out-of-work guys in a working class Dublin suburb, selling burgers out of the back of a truck beats being on the dole.

But running a business together is one sure-fire way to destroy a friendship. And that's the simple premise of The Van, the last of three films that form the Barrytown trilogy, based on novels by Irish writer Roddy Doyle.

Although its gifts pale next to the robust Irish R&B of The Commitments and the gritty, satirical wit of The Snapper, The Van still manages to conclude the series on an entertaining note. Like The Snapper, The Van has been directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Doyle.

Colm Meaney is Larry, the sometimes-befuddled dad we recall from the two earlier films. However, he's no longer the central figure he was in The Snapper. Here he's one of the two friends who decide to try the burger business.

Larry is recruited by his friend, Bimbo (Donal O'Kelly), who has just been given his pink slip at a bakery. Bimbo gets the idea to buy a van to sell burgers curbside, and asks Larry to join him.

Initially, Larry is content as second fiddle. He even comes up with the company logo, "Bimbo's Burgers." Eventually, though, he chafs under his friend's dominance. Ultimately, they're forced to consider what's more valuable -- making a living or keeping a friendship.

Fleshing out this slim plot is an amusing bit of a soccer-mad ambience. The Van is set in fictional Barrytown in 1990, as Ireland qualifies for the World Cup in Italy. Our two less-than-intrepid heroes decide no one will want to cook when the Irish team is on the telly -- it'll be a great time to sell burgers.

The friendship initially thrives as the pair combat a series of setbacks, including the shoddy condition of the used van they purchase, the supercilious attitude of a food inspector, and a variety of hostile customers. But just when they learn how to handle such things, their friendship begins to unravel.

Clearly, The Van lacks the inherent drama of poor Dublin kids starting a band (The Commitments) or the comic mayhem of a family dealing with a daughter's unexpected pregnancy (The Snapper).

But Doyle's characters are well defined and entertaining -- and played with verve by O'Kelly and the wonderful Meaney.

And they're more than enough to hold your attention through this slight tale of male misadventure.