Waking Ned

Ian Bannen - Jackie O'Shea
David Kelly - Michael O'Sullivan
James Nesbitt - Pig Finn
Fionnula Flanagan - Annie O'Shea
Susan Lynch - Maggie
Maura O'Malley - Mrs. Kennedy
Robert Hickey - Maurice

Written and directed by Kirk Jones, Waking Ned is a sweet, funny and poignant story set in the backwater of Tullymore, a small village in Southern Ireland. With a population of only 52 (and shrinking) you can imagine the excitement of locals Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) and his wife Annie (Fionnula Flanagan) when they discover that the owner of the winning lotto ticket is on their doorstep. So the pair, with the help of Jackie's best mate Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly) set about trying to discover the identity of their rich neighbour.

Initial enquiries pinpoint two prime suspects. First is handsome young Pig Finn (James Nesbitt)-so called because he reeks of the pigs he farms - and the other is the dotty champagne-swigging postmistress. Annie takes the postmistress an offering of half a meat pie a night spent in her company reveals that her newly-found taste for champagne is to toast the imminent a of a grandchild, not a big lottery win. Meanwhile, Jackie and Michael manage to spend £50 buying pints in the village pub with only a hangover to show for their efforts. Things look promising when Pig Finn arrives in town in a flashy red sports car. But the trail goes from cold to freezing when it transpires that Pig has borrowed the motor in yet another effort to win the affections of Maggie (Susan Lynch) who loves him but won't take up his offers of marriage until ditches his smelly swine.

Having reached the point of desperation, the sneaky threesome invite all their neighbours to a sumptuous chicken supper where much whisky is imbibed but no one gives the vital information, it is only later that night when they discover that one of their neighbours didn't make the feast that they finally stumble on the truth. The winner must be Ned Devine - but they're going to have trouble waking Ned Devine ... because he's dead. The old boy is lying in bed with a smile on his face and winning lottery ticket worth nearly £7million in his hand. So begins a hilarious game of deception which the whole village engages in, much to the confusion of the lottery agent from the big smoke, Jim Kelly (Brendan F Dempsey), who arrives to dispense the cash. If pensioners riding naked on motorcycles, friends trying to wipe the smile off the face of their pal's corpse, witches on tricycles and flying phone boxes appeal you will be delighted by this little movie with a big heart. Fabulous performances, a quirky story and a wonderfully frivolous feel-good ending make for a feast of blarney and fun. The charm of Waking Ned is thanks largely to the performances of the two leading actors. lan Bannen and David Kelly put in splendid comic performances as the two cunning old rogues hell-bent on getting their share of the £6 million win.

Waking Ned brilliantly portrays how the thought of riches beyond our dreams turns the most ordinary and honest of folk into scheming monsters. But unlike Hollywood's lottery themed movie it Could Happen To You, Waking Ned doesn't give us lessons to be learned-just lots Of laughs. First-time director Kirk Jones strikes the right balance in making his characters warm-hearted and loveable without sinking into sentimentality.