Agnes Browne

Starring:Arno Chevrier, Sean Fox, Jennifer Gibney, Tom Jones, Gavin Kelty, James Lappin, Chrissie McCreery, Pauline McCreery, Gerard McSorley, Gareth O'Connor, Marion O'Dwyer, Niall O'Shea, Ciaran Owens, Carl Power, Mark Power, June Rodgers, Richie Walker, Roxanna Williams, Ray Winstone
Studio: Polygram USA Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Anjelica Huston meant only to direct this working-class fairy tale, but took on the titular role when the original lead dropped out. Adapted from stand-up comic Brendan O'Carrol's first novel, The Mammy, the story of Agnes Browne takes place in 1960s Dublin, where the newly widowed Browne bravely deals with too little money and too many (seven) kids. She's supported through her troubles by her best friend (Marion O'Dwyer); a goofy-faced, adoring French baker (Arno Chevrier); the aforementioned brood--and her dream of one day meeting Tom Jones (materializing conveniently to belt out "She's a Lady"). Ray Winstone (superb in Gary Oldman's Nil by Mouth) plays local loan shark as nasty ogre, the one rotten spot in a neighborhood so whimsically benign it makes Capra's Bedford Falls look downright unfriendly.

Amazon.com

Anjelica Huston meant only to direct this working-class fairy tale, but took on the titular role when the original lead dropped out. Adapted from stand-up comic Brendan O'Carrol's first novel, The Mammy, the story of Agnes Browne takes place in 1960s Dublin, where the newly widowed Browne bravely deals with too little money and too many (seven) kids. She's supported through her troubles by her best friend (Marion O'Dwyer); a goofy-faced, adoring French baker (Arno Chevrier); the aforementioned brood--and her dream of one day meeting Tom Jones (materializing conveniently to belt out "She's a Lady"). Ray Winstone (superb in Gary Oldman's Nil by Mouth) plays local loan shark as nasty ogre, the one rotten spot in a neighborhood so whimsically benign it makes Capra's Bedford Falls look downright unfriendly.

Having grown up in Galway, Huston should be no stranger to Gaelic life. And her first film, Bastard Out of Carolina, showed a willingness to plumb the darkest recesses of the human heart. But Agnes Browne, all unearned sweetness and light, is feel-good soap opera tricked up as an Irishwoman's "feminist" bid for independence. Too often, Huston generates smiles out of quaint-Irish caricature: giggling over "organisms"--orgasms!--Agnes and her benighted pal later wonder whether breast cancer comes from having had two in a lifetime. After a surfeit of "Jaysuses" and pub sing-alongs, you yearn for the sharp comedy of Roddy Doyle's reality-based Dublin stories, such as The Snapper or The Commitments. If you fell for the ethnic hilarity of Waking Ned Devine, you'll love Agnes Browne's Hollywood hokum about an Ireland that never was. --Kathleen Murphy

Agnes Browne [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Spain ]
Average customer rating:
Agnes Browne [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Spain ]
Director: Anjelica Huston
Manufacturer: Lauren Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
Used DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000F8J40O

Product Description

Spain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Subtitles), Spanish (Subtitles), WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SYNOPSIS: The unexpected death of her husband sends a woman (Anjelica Huston) and her seven children, ages 2-14, into emotional turmoil and financial crisis in 1967 Dublin. She is forced to borrow money from a ruthless loan shark (Ray Winstone) to make ends meet. She faces her dismal existence by selling fruits and vegetables at an open air market where she spends time with a best friend (Marion O'Dwyer) who gives her encouragement. Wishing to escape her existence, if only for a short time, she dreams of finding enough money to attend an upcoming Tom Jones concert. She realizes her dream by accepting her first date with a French baker (Arno Chevrier). Her kids pool their money so she can buy a new dress. Of course, eventually the family has to face the loan shark, but this is a movie where obstacles are maybe too easily overcome. SPECIAL FEATURES: Biographies, Cast/Crew Interview(s), Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Trailer(s),