Ian Bannen and David Kelly in "Waking Ned Devine."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Ian Bannen and David Kelly Director: Kirk Jones Rated: PG, with mild profanity and brief nudity Length: 91 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(Jan. 8, 1999) -- The luck of the Irish takes a delightful twist in Waking Ned Devine, a blarney-filled charmer with the potential to be a sleeper in the Full Monty tradition.

A funny fable from first-time writer-director Kirk Jones, Waking Ned Devine spotlights the loony happenings in the tiny Irish village of Tully More after one of its residents wins the national lottery.

Actually, the community faces good news and bad news. Old Ned Devine holds the winning ticket for about 6.8 million pounds -- a fortune. Unfortunately, the discovery kills him.

Loath to see the village miss out on this windfall, Ned's friends and neighbors conspire to cover up his death. Two old codgers, Jackie (Ian Bannen) and Michael (David Kelly), arrange to put Michael in Ned's house, wearing his clothes and assuming his identity.

But the government lottery officials don't just take their word for it -- they launch an investigation.

Before you know it, the villagers have to bury the body; they pretend it's Michael, which means the real Michael gets to sit in the front pew at his own sentimental church funeral.

At another point, Michael and Jackie are forced by circumstances to race buck-naked on a motorbike across the village. (Surely, this is the first movie with two comic nude scenes involving men in their 70s.)

Nearly all the villagers are in on the lottery ruse. After all, that much money will stretch nicely among the 52 residents. Make that 51. The only worries are that the whistle may be blown by either the honest village priest or by a mean-spirited old biddy named Lizzy.

Filmmaker Jones, an award-winning British commercial director, leans heavily on the great tradition of English Ealing comedies, the wonderful ensemble films of the '50s and '60s that helped launch the careers of Peter Sellers and Alec Guinness. Like most of those films, Waking Ned Devine has the misty aura of a fable and resolves its drama through a group effort.

Standouts, though, include Bannen, a veteran character actor who balances Jackie's sly conniving with a good heart and a practical nature; and Irish stage actor Kelly, who's hilarious as the deadpan Michael-turned-Ned.

Though filmed on England's Isle of Man, Waking Ned Devine successfully recreates the green vistas, rustic stone cottages, peat fields and rolling hills of the west of Ireland. And the Irish mood is further enhanced by a fabulous score that blends Celtic themes, a bit of Irish rock and a warm-hearted version of The Parting Glass.

Waking Ned Devine is one lottery story that leaves us all holding a winning ticket, even if it's only a theater stub.