Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageEvelyn (2002)
Director: Bruce Beresford
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Dublin, 1953: Intermittently employed carpenter Desmond Doyle (Brosnan) is struggling after his unfaithful wife left him and their three children, and the kids end up in the care of the Church. To secure their release requires the consent of both parents, and since his spouse has emigrated, Doyle can only douse his frustration in the black stuff. Kindly barmaid Bernadette (Margulies) registers his plight, however, and puts him in touch with sympathetic lawyer Michael Beattie (Rea). Given the cosy relationship between Church and State at the time, the case will be unprecedented, since the pursuit of Doyle's free access to his children involves a direct challenge to the Irish constitution. This significant historical moment is ripe with dramatic potential, but instead of the clear-headed resolve the material demands, Beresford's film offers slush, blarney and grandstanding actors, while Paul Pender's screenplay blithely shovels the facts into a bog of celluloid clichés. Producer/star Brosnan turns an ordinary workman up against it into a study in relentless versatility - he sings in the pub, he bonds with the littl'uns, he beams with redemption. The intent is ingratiating, the effect emetic.Author: TJ
Cast & crew
Director: Bruce Beresford
Producer: Pierce Brosnan, Beau St Clair, Michael Ohoven
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Aidan Quinn, Julianna Margulies, Stephen Rea, John Lynch, Sophie Vavasseur, Alan Bates, Bosco Hogan full cast
Duration: 95 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now