Waking Ned Details

An utterly charming gem of a film from first-time director Kirk Jones, which was a surprise hit Stateside thanks to an imaginative marketing campaign. It's set on a tiny Irish island, where two old men become hysterical when they discover an anonymous local has won the lottery. Their attempts to uncover the lucky so-and-so involve bribery and much false nicety until success results in them orchestrating a complex lie that involves the entire community. Ian Bannen (who tragically died within a year of this career-reviving performance) and David Kelly play the avaricious OAPs in a tale that is both laugh-out-loud funny and extremely touching.

"...Stocked with colorful types....The real pot of gold, though, is the rapport between Ian Bannen and David Kelly..." -- 3 out of 4 stars