| Waking Ned | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Kirk Jones |
| Produced by | Richard Holmes Glynis Murray |
| Written by | Kirk Jones |
| Starring | Ian Bannen David Kelly Fionnula Flanagan |
| Music by | Shaun Davey |
| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 20 November 1998 |
| Running time | 91 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,000,000 (est.) |
Waking Ned (titled Waking Ned Devine in North America) is a 1998 comedy film by English writer and director Kirk Jones. It stars Ian Bannen, David Kelly and Fionnula Flanagan. Kelly was nominated for a Screen Actors' Guild award for his role as Michael O'Sullivan. The film is set in Ireland but was filmed on location in the Isle of Man. It was produced by the British studio Tomboy Films and distributed by the American company Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Contents |
Plot
When word reaches Jackie O'Shea (Bannen) and Michael O'Sullivan (Kelly), two elderly best friends, that someone in their tiny Irish village of 49 people in Tulaigh Mhór (Tullymore) has won the Irish National Lottery's Lotto game, they go to great lengths to find the winner so they can share the wealth. After a chicken-dinner plot to narrow down their list of suspects, they pay a midnight visit to the only absentee: Ned Devine. They find Ned in his home, still holding the ticket in his hand, a smile on his face and dead of shock. Jackie is later convinced by a dream that the deceased Ned wants to share the winnings with his friends, as he has no family to claim the ticket.
Elsewhere in the village, Maggie O'Toole continues to spurn the romantic interests of her old flame, "Pig" Finn, a local pig farmer. Finn is convinced they belong together, as he thinks he is the father of her son Morris, but she cannot abide him due to his ever present odor of pigs.
After discovering that the lottery winnings are far greater than anticipated, Jackie and Michael are forced to involve the entire village in fooling the claim inspector. The villagers enter a pact to pretend that Ned is alive and well, by having Michael pose as him, even to the point of changing the real Ned's funeral into a service for Michael when the claim inspector wanders into the church. However, the local curmudgeon, Lizzie Quinn, decides not to enter the pact and attempts to blackmail the entire village by reporting the fraud and receiving ten percent of the lottery share. However, later in the story, she apparently dies in a car accident when the claim inspector's car spins out of control and forces an oncoming van, with the village priest as the driver, to crash into the phone booth she was using to report the fraud. The money is shared amongst the villagers.
As the village celebrates at the local pub, Jackie spots Maggie O'Toole, who is content that Pig Finn is going to give up pig farming to marry her now that he can afford to. Jackie approves, adding that Morris needs a father in his life. "More than seven million pounds?" she asks, nodding to her son and revealing that the elderly Ned was actually the father of Morris. Jackie urges her to claim the entire fortune, but Maggie is sure that Morris needs a father more.
Production
The film was shot on the Isle of Man, with the village of Cregneash standing in for the fictional Irish village of Tulaigh Mhór.
Reception
Waking Ned Devine grossed $24.79 million dollars in North America and 30.46 million internationally, for a grand total of $55.25 million, worldwide.[1] The film received positive reviews, and holds a "fresh" rating of 83% on the film aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes.[2] Kirk Jones was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer.[3] The film was nominated for and won several other awards including the Screen Actors Guild, Satellite Awards, and the National Board of Review.[3]
References
- Waking Ned Devine: An Original Screenplay by Kirk Jones. ScreenPress Books, 1999
External links
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