 |
| Images courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics |
Irish Spectre Productions co-founder and Ordinary Decent
Criminal director Thaddeus O’Sullivan has been active in distinctly Irish
cinema and television since the 1990s with December Bride before working
his way up to The Heart of Me and Stella Days. His latest endeavor, the Dublin and Lourdes
shot ensemble drama The Miracle Club about a group of middle-class
largely elderly women band together for a pilgrimage in the water Sanctuary of
Lourdes, functions as a film about self-actualization, healing old wounds and
possibly a bona fide miracle at hand.
The resulting film is a bit like a Stephen Frears film, adorned with an
eclectic cast with a fairly light character driven drama with moments of
unexpected dramatic power. Light on the
surface but hinting at heavier weathers.
Close friends Lily (Maggie Smith), Eileen (Kathy Bates) and
Dolly (Agnes O’Casey) reside in the Ballygar community of Dublin, Ireland put
on a song-and-dance show to win a contest for pilgrimage at the Lourdes, France
sanctuary. Much to their respective
husbands’ chagrin, the trio packs up and embarks for Lourdes. As they’re about to depart however, an old
estranged friend named Chrissie (Laura Linney) arrives for her mother’s
funeral, triggering unrest over heartache and past unresolved wounds. Hastily tagging along on the trip to Lourdes,
the endeavor is fraught with turmoil as these women find themselves in friction
with Chrissie whose presence threatens to upend the whole trip.
A soft, warm-hearted movie for Irish moms and elder
filmgoers while also functioning as a fairly well mounted ensemble drama with
light elements of humor and Maggie Smith and Kathy Bates delivering quick
witted snarky quips over the arrival of Laura Linney’s estranged friend. One of the charms of the film is how these
hard-working stay-at-home women go for their dream while the annoyed working
husbands get a hard dose of parenthood they’ve always relied on their wives
for. These gals don’t take no for an
answer and aren’t about to be deterred by their male companions. One particularly charming appearance onscreen
is that of Kathy Bates’ husband played by The Company of Wolves actor
Stephen Rea who acts gruff and tough but quickly recognizes his place in the scheme
of things.
Lensed handsomely in panoramic widescreen by Flora and
Son cinematographer John Conroy and given a soft orchestral score by The
Dark composer Edmund Butt, part of the purpose of The Miracle Club is
a travelogue, showing off Ireland before moving over to the splendor of
Lourdes, France and going through the sacred water baths containing
miracles. The cast across the board is great
as always with Maggie Smith having found her niche post-Downton Abbey and
Kathy Bates fresh off of Richard Jewell is a wonderfully feisty
presence. Laura Linney’s character is
somewhat sad and treated like the black sheep of the group but as always Linney
channels strong emotional weathers in her performance. The newcomer here is Agnes O’Casey in only
her debut as a mother with a son who won’t speak in the hopes a trip to Lourdes
will coax him out of his muteness.
Sweet natured, gentle and languid, The Miracle Club is
lighthearted Irish fare with lovely performances and a moving story about a
group of friends who seek out a miracle but find something perhaps greater
about themselves in the process. The
film isn’t about to win any awards or break new ground, but as comfort food it
mostly does the job right. Thaddeus O’Sullivan
will probably continue to serve up soft Irish dramas for some time but in this
case he gets an added boost from his eclectic cast and the significance of the
Lourdes Sanctuary itself. A nice little
November movie to watch at home curled up on the couch by the cozy fireplace.
--Andrew Kotwicki
