Waking Ned
(1998)
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A comedy about the inhabitants of Tulley More, a small Irish town with a population of fifty-two and dwindling. When Jackie and Michael discover that someone in their town has won the national lottery, they intend to uncover the lucky individual and talk him into sharing the jackpot with them. Trouble arises when they discover it's good old Ned Devine, and no longer is he one of the living. The citizens must band together and fool the authorities into believing that Ned is still alive, in order for them to receive the money and share it amongst themselves. |
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.