Evelyn

This film was very pleasantly surprising. The actors involved suggested a decent flick, but it's not my type of film at all. I don't do "family flicks" and I don't do "chick flicks" -- and this appeared to come down right between the 2. Surprisingly, this one is a beautiful piece of work that someone who prefers "Taffin" and "4th Protocol" by style really enjoyed. The acting is strong, the people are *real*, it all just gels. This one is *definitely* worth taking a look at -- yea, there's a little schmaltz (there's 3 kids billed ABOVE Pierce Brosnan, whaddya expect?), but it's well within the bounds of the story -- but it's a *good* piece of theatre and gives us the chance to see Pierce Brosnan in an entirely different type of role. If he weren't so pretty, he could have made an excellent character actor :).

This is the true story of a father who battled some unfair Irish child custody laws about 50 years ago. He puts his kids in an orphanage, and then cannot get them back. He suffers from a prejudice that only mothers can raise kids. I liked this movie because I identified with the father. To my surprise, my kids love this movie also. They've watched it about 10 times. This is partly because they've been the victims of a court-ordered custody change. But also, my daughters find the Evelyn Doyle character inspiring. She is calm and courageous and sensible in the face of a wrong system.

While I must admit this is a chick-flick, it is a very good one. A heartwarming story, very well acted by an excellent cast. At times it was a little difficult to understand some of the thick accents, but it's better than hearing someone like Kevin Costner speak with an American accent in Robin Hood. The child actors were very convincing, although with the habits they were wearing it was hard to tell the good nuns from the bad nuns. The screenplay had just enough humor to keep the movie from getting too sappy, which is critical if you want guys to keep from walking out. Much better material for Pierce Brosnan than the James Bond scripts.

I loved this movie from the first time I saw it. It has all a good story needs. It's funny, moving and warm. The story of Evelyn Doyle is told without too much bias, which is a nice thing to see. It paints a picture of 1950s Ireland that seems more optimistic. The movie is not all about misery. It's about life with all its ups and downs. The cast is excellent, you just have to love all the characters. I'm especially fond of Pierce Brosnan's performance. You see a side of him that he doesn't get to show much on film. He even sings, what impressed me a lot. He makes you forget about James Bond; he actually becomes Desmond Doyle. I'd love to see him in more films of that kind!

I just watched this movie on pay per view, and I thought it was delightful. Pierce Brosnan does a fine job. So nice to see him really get a chance to act. And the supporting cast, including Alan Bates and Stephen Rea, is exceptional. The story is very believable and touching, probably because it is based on a true story. I just wonder why this film, directed by the talented Bruce Beresford, did not make any significant splash when it was released. It may have played in Austin, but I don't remember it. Just shows how marketing, or lack of it, can make a movie disappear. It's a shame it didn't get more attention. I heartily recommend it.

EVELYN (2002) *** Pierce Brosnan, Stephen Rea, Julianna Margulies, Aidan Quinn, Alan Bates, John Lynch, Sophie Vavasseur, Niall Beagan, Hugh McDonagh, Mairead Devlin, Frank Kelly. Heart-tugging melodrama based on a true story about a working class Irishman named Desmond Doyle circa 1950s attempted to regain full custody of his three beloved children (including the cute-as-pie Vavasseur as the titular daughter) after their mother abandons them making them wards of the state with stints in a Catholic institution. Brosnan acts up a storm with brio and has able support from Rea, Bates and Quinn as his legal brothers in arms and Margulies as the local barmaid/love interest. Warm-hearted and predictable but none-the-less crowd pleasing. (Dir: Bruce Beresford)