A Date for Mad Mary

One of My Favorite Irish films of the last decade or so. Mad" Mary McArdle (Seána Kerslake) returns to her hometown after a brief stint in prison and is immediately labeled as undatable, but she is determined to find a date to accompany her to her best friend's wedding. The film runs to a brisk 82 minutes. Director/Writer Darren Thornton doesn't waste a minute of it. The film is helped by a amazing performance from Seána Kerslake, who would have only been 23 at the time of this film's release. She gives Mary a lot of depth, someone who's not likeable at the start but by the end as she grows to be a better person and her message to Jess on the phone asking for forgiveness is seriously heartbreaking stuff. The film has probably got it's small following outside of Ireland cause of lesbian romance between Mary and Wedding photographer Jess (played wonderfully by Tara Lee). It gets plenty of screen time and both Lee and Kerslake have great chemistry. It's rather sweet cause you see Mary's tough exterior just fall away as she opens up to Jess. Even crying tears of joy at the fact she feels love for the first time. It's probably best stuff form the film along with Mary's horrible dates and Mary's grandmother. Mary's friend Charlene is a tough one to crack. I've always found her to be a bit of horrible friend for 99% of the film. Even though Mary isn't innocent but Charlene just crosses the line way too much for me, especially with taken bridemaids speech away from Mary that was low for me. And the film tries to redeem her at the end with the dance and last Mary/Charlene scene. With Charlene tears, that's probably the last time her and Mary will probably be that close. Their friendship has moved on and they at least end it on a good note. Mary ends the film with moving on from Charlene and starting afresh with Jess. And becoming a better person and coming to terms with her sexuality. This is a new Mary and her new life begins now. I really rate this film highly and wish it was more well known. Kerslake should have gone on to at least getting big roles on British TV and film cause of this role. But she's done solidly enough on Irish TV but she's never been given a role as good as this since for me.

This was a lovely surprise. I've been watching more Irish films lately and really enjoyed this one. A great performance by the two lead characters and they protrayed the meaning of friendship and the fallouts good friendships can have. The film was a little dark in parts but that didn't take away from the emotional impact. Lovely film.

Neat tense little drama of a strained relationship between two best friends, one preparing for her wedding, the other needing to come to terms with her issues. A little slow, and certainly not a comedy (at least, I didn't think it was funny). Good realistic performances, and the unusual location, set in the town Drogheda, Ireland keeps the interest thru the movie.

The story to some extent is as simple as someone coming out of jail and finding out her friends have moved on and developed without her and her coming to terms with that. The search for a date is simply a way of showing her alienation and her fear of making new connections when her old ones lie broken. The acting is low key and first rate. Thoroughly enjoyed this movie, but in a melancholy way.

Could have been five, but missed a few details. First, the title doesn't describe the essence of the story. Second, the cover doesn't covey it either. OK, picky points over. Third, the ending (some directors are prone to this cutesy & nebulous non-creative trick) leaves the viewer hanging, e.g. wasn't clear who was on the phone. Fourth, we didn't get enough of the background of Mary's character and what sent her to jail. One of the central themes is the transformation of Mary which for some viewers to understand requires more background. The disfigurement of a person is not a trivial matter to not address. Won some awards at an Irish film festival.

This was a lovely surprise. I've been watching more Irish films lately and really enjoyed this one. A great performance by the two lead characters and they protrayed the meaning of friendship and the fallouts good friendships can have. The film was a little dark in parts but that didn't take away from the emotional impact. Lovely film.

Neat tense little drama of a strained relationship between two best friends, one preparing for her wedding, the other needing to come to terms with her issues. A little slow, and certainly not a comedy (at least, I didn't think it was funny). Good realistic performances, and the unusual location, set in the town Drogheda, Ireland keeps the interest thru the movie.