Intermission
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Movie Reviews of Intermission
Movie Review: demanding but rewarding offbeat comedy
Summary: 4 Stars
You may develop a slight case of whiplash while watching "Intermission," but it will be a small enough price to pay for the pleasure of the experience. This is a fascinating film that ingeniously weaves together a myriad of overlapping stories whose common thread is life among the Irish working class.
The screenplay focuses on a group of seemingly unrelated people whose lives crisscross and intersect in so well crafted a way that, as the story develops, a fully connected narrative soon emerges. Through a carefully thought-out structure and pattern, writer Mark O'Rowe and director John Crowley create order out of seeming disorder, and the overlaps never feel pre-fabricated or contrived - until the end that is, and then the contrivance is used for comic effect. The overarching theme of the piece is an examination of the subtleties and complexities that make up human interactions and human relationships. There are people here from all walks of life, yet they are basically united in their desire for love, commitment and acceptance from their fellow man. A few of them veer towards the criminal and/or violent side of life but most are just ordinary Joes (and Janes) trying to make the best of the lives they've been handed. This is one of those films in which the good people triumph over their failings, the not-so-good ones get the chance to make things right, and the irredeemable ones get their richly deserved comeuppance in the end.
Colin Farrell, playing a violent, two-bit hoodlum, is the only "name" member of the cast, but the film boasts a whole gallery of fine actors and actresses who deliver heartfelt, winning performances. The film is filled with humor and sentiment and just enough action and violence to keep the whole thing contemporary and cutting edge (with the usual nod to "Pulp Fiction," of course).
The real joy of the film lies in putting yourself in the hands of the filmmakers and letting them take you wherever it is they want you to go. The trip, I promise you, will be a rewarding one.
And you'll barely feel that whiplash.
Movie Review: When Irish eyes aren't smiling . . .
Summary: 4 Stars
As many of the reviews here already indicate, this film is not to everyone's taste. Set in Dublin, it reflects something of the sensibility of modern Irish drama, with its harsh, black-comic edges and its ambivalence about sentimentality. An ensemble piece that loosely weaves together more plot threads than a viewer can hope to follow or account for after seeing the whole film, it has a capable cast skillfully portraying a broad range of characters, not any of them particularly sympathetic, though you find yourself cheering for some of their small victories.
Yes, Colin Farrell is fun to watch as a charming but sociopathic skinhead. But for all their brief and fragmented moments on screen, there are standouts in the rest of the cast as well, including Colm Meaney, whose character seems to wish he were a tough cop in "Miami Vice," the wistful Kelly Macdonald as a young woman who just wants a steady man, even if he's married, and Cillian Murphy as her totally hapless boyfriend with a job he hates stocking shelves in a supermarket.
The movie is a farcical riff on the many different forms of anger. Almost everyone has grievances that lead them to everything from rage to depression, which for many viewers will begin to wear thin after a while. There's exhilarating relief for a while as we are witness to a spectacular bus crash, and later the film cuts back and forth between two simultaneous car chases, each of them ending badly. Finally resolving all this high-powered negative energy is a bit more than this film can manage, and the ending rather unsuccessfully brings us in for a soft landing. But then endings are not easy anyway, and what you remember about the film are its oddball moments, which capture better than anything the desperate measures people take while looking for love in all the wrong places.
Movie Review: Life and Love's Frustrations in the Irish Style.
Summary: 4 Stars
"Intermission" is a collection of intertwined story lines set in Dublin, Ireland, all somehow connected to the break-up, several weeks before, of two characters, Deirdre (Kelly MacDonald) and John (Cillian Murphy). Deirdre has found a new man, Sam (Michael McElhatton). John is regretting leaving her. John's best friend, Oscar (David Wilmot) is desperately seeking companionship, Deirdre's sister Sally (Shirley Henderson) is avoiding it. Sam's wife is furious. And an egotistical police officer, Jerry Lynch (Colm Meaney), is pursuing career criminal Lehiff (Colin Farrell) and personal fame.
"Intermission"'s cast is a Who's Who of talented young Irish thespians, with a few Brits thrown in the mix. Quirky but somehow true-to-life Irish films about friends and family have somehow become a genre unto themselves. This is one of those. There's nothing surprising about "Intermission", but it does take enough unpredictable turns to keep it interesting. True to the genre, the characters aren't smart or even especially interesting on the face of it. But the dialogue is engaging. The situations are funny. These people's anxieties, neuroses, and disappointments ring true. Add a charismatic young cast, and you have a pretty entertaining movie.
The DVD: Bonus features include 2 deleted scenes and a theatrical trailer. The deleted scenes are essentially redundant and not worth your time. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish.
Movie Review: Nothing original, but good fun
Summary: 4 Stars
Although this movie was advertised as being a new break out independent movie, it's not as original as the filmmakers would have you believe. It's main gimmick is that it features a bunch of different stories which intersect with each other at various points, such as you have already seen in "Love Actually" or "Crash" or a million different other movies.
That being said, it's not a bad little movie. I had quite a few laughs during the course of it, and, although it's not a new trick, it is always fun to see the stories intersect with each other.
Because of the cynical take this film has on love and relationships, it struck me as kind of a darker version of "Love Actually". However most of the characters still arrive at some sort of a happy ending.
As a former Star Trek fan, I particularly enjoyed Colm Meaney playing a tough guy police man with a fondness for Celtic music. Funny thing: Colm Meaney's Star Trek character, Miles O'Brien, was easily the most bland and boring character in both "The Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine." But Colm Meaney himself can be a great actor, as seen in this movie, and also "Snapper" (another independent Irish movie that I saw on Eion's recommendation a few years back). Obviously the Star Trek writers did not know how to use him to his fullest potential.
Movie Review: Energetic dark comedy from Ireland
Summary: 4 Stars
While Intermission, with its many characters whose lives converge in a tale full of action, sex and absurdity, draws on earlier films like Short Cuts, Pulp Fiction and Go, it has a style all its own. Director John Crowley gives the film a distinctly Irish flavor. It begins with a Pulp Fiction-like bang, with a hoodlum named Lehiff (Colin Farrell) dishing out a dose of gratuitous violence on an unsuspecting victim. Colm Meaney, in turn, plays a sadistic cop who takes pleasure in tormenting Lehiff and the other petty criminals who cross his path. The plot is too complex to summarize in a short review, but it involves an extramarital affair that leads indirectly to an improbable robbery plot.
What is surprising about Intermission is the way it manages to sustain coherence, suspense and a sense of humor amidst all the chaos and complexity. Many of the characters are sympathetic despite, or maybe because of their considerable flaws. All of the players distinguish themselves as real individuals, as opposed to the stereotypes that populate most films. Despite the absurdity of much of the tale, each of the characters is brought to life in a way that keeps the film compelling and fun to watch.