When Brendan Met Trudy
(2000)
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Brendan meets Trudy, a Montessori teacher, in a pub. They agree to meet again, for a movie, but Trudy doesn't show up. Brendan goes looking and finds her. They try again. The relationship brings Brendan to places he's never known - parties, the supermarket, friendship with a Nigerian refugee named Edgar - and the sex is glorious. For the first time in his adult life Brendan is having fun. Then Brendan learns that Trudy is actually a burglar. He begins to enjoy a life of crime - and the sex is even better. Until he brings her to meet his family; the encounter with Nuala, the sister from Hell, brings the relationship to a screaming end. Brendan's pleas are useless - he even lies facedown in a puddle, pretending he has been hit by a car. But it's over. Some days later, he sees on the news that Edgar is being deported. He rushes to help Edgar, assaults and is assaulted by the Gardai - live on television. Impressed, Trudy agrees to take him back - if he agrees to rob Nuala's house with her. Mission accomplished, they confess their love in the getaway car. Their next assignment is Brendan's idea: the school - a consignment of new computers. The attempted heist is interrupted and Trudy gives herself up to protect Brendan. He watches her trial from the back of the court. She is sentenced to two years. Brendan is now miserable - he drags his guilt and loneliness behind him. The heroes of his favorite movies, watched on television as he flicks channels to avoid them, seem to mock him with their courage and selflessness. Eventually, he musters the courage to visit Trudy. They are reconciled. Brendan sings "Panis Angelicus," and is hauled from the visiting room. He has never been so happy. |
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Following adaptations of his novels The Commitments and The Van, this romantic comedy was Roddy Doyle's first work written directly for the screen, and it has, unsurprisingly, a very Irish flavour. Flora Montgomery is a star in the making as the spirited Trudy, a foul-mouthed, brash Dubliner who steamrolls her way into the life of timid teacher Brendan (Peter McDonald). While their romance is very unlikely — he's a stay-at-home film buff and singer in the local choir — watching her completely obliterate his quiet life is often great fun. Nicely directed by Kieron J Walsh (best known for the TV series The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star), this rises above the ordinary thanks to Montgomery's infectious performance.