Main Cast: Barry McEvoy, Brian F. O'Byrne, Anna Friel, Billy Connolly, Colum Convey
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 103 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Director Barry Levinson attempts to repeat the success of several recent, low-budget British imports such as The Full Monty (1997), Waking Ned Devine (1998), and Saving Grace (2000) with this comedy about a pair of prison barbers trying to make a success of a hairpiece business in Northern Ireland. Colm (Barry McEvoy), a Catholic, and George (Brian F. O'Byrne), a Protestant, are friends who toil away in a lackluster job cutting the hair of convicts in a prison for the insane where Colm's girlfriend Bronagh (Anna Friel) also works. When the two lads hear of a prisoner nicknamed The Scalper (Billy Connolly), they learn that he was the only seller of hairpieces in the country, and decide to begin crafting their own toupees for sale as a way to start their own business. As they ply their wares through the war-torn country, the friends are not above using their respective religions to make sales, but competition soon arrives in the form of Toupee or Not Toupee, a rival company, and a race to be the first outfit to sell 30 units quickly ensues. Politics, business, and religious beliefs soon intersect to cause big trouble for both men. Actor McEvoy also wrote the script for An Everlasting Piece, loosely basing his character on his real-life father. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Colum Convey - IRA Man; Pauline McLynn - Gerty; Ruth McCabe - Mrs. O'Neill; Desmond McAleer - Mr. Black
Credit
Padraig O'neill - Art Director, Mark Lowry - Art Director, Ros Hubbard - Casting, John Hubbard - Casting, Morgan O'Sullivan - Co-producer, James Flynn - Co-producer, Joan Bergin - Costume Designer, Liz Gill - First Assistant Director, Barry Levinson - Director, Stu Linder - Editor, Patrick McCormick - Executive Producer, Hans Zimmer - Composer (Music Score), Allan Mason - Musical Direction/Supervision, Nathan Crowley - Production Designer, Seamus Deasy - Cinematographer, Mark Johnson - Producer, Barry Levinson - Producer, Paula Weinstein - Producer, Louis Di Giaimo - Producer, Laura Bowe - Set Designer, Kieran Horgan - Sound/Sound Designer, Richard Beggs - Sound/Sound Designer, Barry McEvoy - Screenwriter
McEvoy based the screenplay on the adventures of his own father as a toupée peddler to both sides in the midst of the conflict. The movie was shot on location in Belfast.
Cast
Barry McEvoy ... Colm Brian F. O'Byrne ... George Anna Friel ... Bronagh Pauline McLynn ... Gerty
Ruth McCabe ... Mrs. O'Neill
Laurence Kinlan ... Mickey Billy Connolly ... Scalper
Des McAleer ... Mr. Black
Colum Convey ... IRA Man
Ian Cregg ... Milker
David Pearse ... Comrade Seamus Ball ... Mr. Duggan Enda Oates ... Detective
Des Braiden ... Vicar
George Shane ... Billy King
