Waking
Ned Devine
Reviewed
by Leonard Heldreth, September, 1999
Waking Ned Devine is a light,
good-hearted comedy about a common human emotion—greed. When
Ned Devine wins nearly seven million pounds in the lottery but dies
before he can collect, his village friends hate to see the money rolled
over into the next lottery contest instead of coming to the poor village
where it could be well-used. But how can the government be duped into
thinking that Ned is alive and entitled to the money? The scheme hatched
by the fifty-two inhabitants of the Irish town of Tulaigh Mhor forms
the plot of this film full of chuckles about human foibles.
Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) is the planner who first realizes
that someone in the village has won the money and begins to find out
who. Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly) is his shy friend who is drawn
unexpectedly into roles he would never have anticipated, especially
at a funeral and on a motorcycle. Annie (Fionnula Flanagan) is Jackie's
wife who gradually comes to see the wisdom of the subterfuge, and
Lizzy Quinn (Eileen Dromey) is the crafty old woman who threatens
to reveal all unless she is bought off. A sub-plot involves the romance
between Finn the pig farmer (James Nesbitt), who smells too bad to
be a husband despite his use of "fruity soap," and Maggie
(Susan Lynch), who encourages Finn to believe he is the father of
her son, conceived before Finn took over the family hog farm. Add
in the lottery inspector Jim Kelly (Brendan F. Dempsey), who sneezes
every time he comes to the country, the temporary priest who must
ignore the village's plans, and two aging men riding around naked
on motorcycles, and the laughs are frequent without being sarcastic
or cynical. The film has a couple of far-fetched twists near the end
but manages to conclude with a toast to friendship. The score of traditional
music adds to the enjoyment as does the beautiful photography, even
though the film was shot on the Isle of Man. Other than being a bit
risque for younger children, this is a genial comedy that nearly everyone
will enjoy.
