Film Talk: Dame Maggie is leading the charge in pilgrimage pic The Miracle Club
Last week’s new releases were dominated by indisputable national treasure Sir Michael Caine and The Great Escaper. How on Earth can this week’s offerings hope to follow in the footsteps of such a titan of British acting talent? Answer – with one of the truly greatest ladies our shores have ever sired leading the charge.
An English actress who needs absolutely no introduction (but here it comes anyway), Dame Maggie Smith is as synonymous with silver-screen excellence as it is possible to be. There will only ever be one Minerva McGonagall, and the world could never contain the delicious wicked wit of two Violet Crawleys. Yet, in a career that has spanned seven decades, these iconic roles for Dame Maggie are in fact only the tip of the iceberg.
Establishing herself in the world of theatre at a relatively young age, the great lady went on to take Hollywood by storm. Having picked up two Academy Awards and nominations for four others, the mighty Maggie has stolen the stage in flick after flick; Sister Act, Hook, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and Quartet, to name but a few.
Alongside the immortal Dame Judy Dench, she stands as one of the British acting industry’s most revered exports, and has played a monumental part in establishing a universal truth: we’re the best in the world at this; that’s all there is to it.
Honoured with a damehood for contributions to the arts back in 1990, she has spent the last 33 years leaving no doubt as to the justice of this accolade, and this week she is stepping up and hoping to set our screens to ‘sparkle’ once more.
Directed by Thaddeus O‘Sullivan, The Miracle Club puts Dame Maggie alongside Laura Linney and Kathy Bates in a comedy-drama following a group of women from Dublin on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Ready to join the journey? Let’s get this show on the road...
THE MIRACLE CLUB (UK 12A/ROI 12A, 90 mins)
Released: October 13 (UK & Ireland)
Three generations of women seek spiritual enlightenment and forgiveness in a tender drama, directed by Thaddeus O‘Sullivan, which possesses the heart-warming cosiness and charm of an episode of Call The Midwife transplanted from London’s East End to the suburbs of 1967 Dublin.
There are no miracles performed on screen by a stellar ensemble including Laura Linney, Kathy Bates and Dame Maggie Smith, who deftly navigate thorny issues of miscarriage, bereavement and terminal illness with compassion, sensitivity and dewy-eyed sisterly solidarity.
As a kindly priest observes to one of his doubting flock after she learns there have only been 62 documented miracles in a sacred French town since 1858: “You don’t come to Lourdes for a miracle. You come for the strength to go on when there is no miracle.”
The strength of O’Sullivan’s picture lies in casting Oscar-winning and nominated talent alongside rising stars and applying a light touch to more challenging subject matter rather than shamelessly targeting our tear ducts.
Solid production design evokes an era of staunch resolves and so-called traditional gender roles when menfolk went out to work while women multitasked caring for babies, tending the home and serving a wholesome home-cooked meal at the end of the day.
Chrissie Ahearn (Linney) arrives in the town of Ballygar from Boston for the funeral of her mother Maureen, 40 years after she was banished by friends and family as a pregnant teenager.
Her sharp-tongued cousin Eileen Dunne (Bates) greets her return with withering insults and Maureen’s good friend Lily Fox (Smith) is equally hostile, having warned her son Dermot to steer clear of Chrissie many years ago.
The return of the prodigal daughter coincides with a pilgrimage to Lourdes organised by Father Dermot Byrne (Mark O’Halloran).
Eileen will go despite fierce resistance from her husband Frank (Stephen Rea), having recently discovered a small lump in her breast.
Lily is keen to visit the Massabielle Grotto, where the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared to a local woman.
“I’ve always wanted to go… I’m running out of chances,” she trills.
Their neighbour Dolly Hennessy (Agnes O’Casey) will also be on the coach with her young son Daniel (Eric D Smith).
She is praying the revered bath waters will encourage her boy to utter his first words.
Chrissie unexpectedly honours her mother’s dying wish and gatecrashes the excursion.
Old wounds slowly heal as the women reflect on the past and spend quality time together.
The Miracle Club is an endearingly old-fashioned portrait of community rallying in the face of adversity, threaded with earthy humour and more than a hint of blarney.
Irish accents that waver when characters raise their voices do not distract greatly from universally appealing performances and director O’Sullivan does not rush inevitable scenes of reconciliation. Slow and steady wins the race.
PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE (UK U/ROI G, 92 mins)
Released: October 13 (UK & Ireland)
Every dog has its day, especially the smallest of the litter, in a second feature film extension of the hugely popular PAW Patrol children’s TV series, which has been wagging the tails of young viewers since 2013.
Prefaced by the energetic short Dora And The Fantastical Creatures, which celebrates the brightly coloured alebrijes from Mexican folklore, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie turbocharges the titular canines with powers relevant to their skill sets.
Thus, firefighter Marshall summons balls of flame from his paws, aquatic rescue expert Zuma becomes one with water and construction pup Rubble metamorphoses into a wrecking ball.
“New powers, new merchandise. To all the parents out there, I’m sorry,” quips reporter Sam Stringer (voiced by Lil Rel Howery), covering the story for Adventure City News Network.
Tongue-in-cheek self-awareness takes infrequent walks in a script penned by director Cal Brunker, Billy Frolick and Bob Barlen, who acknowledge the preposterousness of the central dramatic conceit when junkyard owner Janet (Kristen Bell) explains to her pet goldfish Bruce that PAW Patrol are little puppies that defy canine physiology to drive around in cars.
“I know that sounds weird but… just go with it!” she chirrups. Young audiences certainly will, relishing the introduction of a trio of cute Pomeranians aka the Junior Patrollers, who prove that small can be mighty.
Ten-year-old Ryder (Finn Lee-Epp) and PAW Patrol pups Chase (Christian Convery), Liberty (Marsai Martin), Marshall (Christian Corrao), Rocky (Callum Shoniker), Rubble (Luxton Handspiker), Skye (Mckenna Grace) and Zuma (Nylan Parthipan) stand guard over Adventure City from their high-tech Lookout.
The team responds to a report of a fire at the junkyard owned by Hank (James Marsden) and Janet (Bell) following the theft of their electromagnet.
The culprit is mad scientist Victoria Vance (Taraji P Henson), who intends to harness to power of the electromagnet to attract Meteor X2805 into Earth’s atmosphere so she can harvest precious crystals contained within the fallen space rock.
Her plan backfires. The meteor destroys the PAW Patrol’s Lookout and imbues the pups with extraordinary abilities.
Skye hopes her newfound super-strength and an ability to fly will allow her to finally shake off her self-doubt and become living proof of Ryder’s rousing call to arms: “No job is too big, no pup is too small!”
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie finesses tricks from the pups’ first big screen outing, with a brief appearance by the series’ chief antagonist Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo) and his army of moggies.
Stakes feel higher in the sequel and Grace’s vocal performance captures Skye’s deep-rooted desire to prove herself, even if that means taking her last bark to protect Adventure City. A brisk running time keeps children’s attention on a comfortable but tight leash.
SUMOTHERHOOD (UK 15/ROI 15A, 97 mins)
Released: October 13 (UK & Ireland)
Actor, writer and director Adam Deacon returns to the mean streets of London in a self-penned buddy comedy, which taps the same parodic vein as his hit-or-miss 2011 film Anuvahood.
A lacklustre script credited to Deacon, co-star Jazzie Zonzolo and Michael Vu uses five words – bro, bruv, cuz, fam, man – as the punctuation of breathless, wordy sentences peppered with references to 12 Years A Slave, Crimewatch and Emmerdale.
If tumbleweed were to blow through the English capital, it would take root and flourish in Deacon’s picture, which boasts longueurs when jokes consistently fall flat and cast turn up the volume on performances in search of an elusive laugh.
The best moments, which are fleeting, do not involve the chaotic central duo, who share bunk beds without a humorous payoff.
Cameos and random one-liners, like the tower block resident who does not appreciate interruptions to her TV viewing (“Can you shut up? I’m trying to watch Gogglebox!”), are the welcome diversions.
Toes curl with discomfort and boredom for extended periods as Deacon blitzes the screen with a police chase, protracted gun fight and Jeremy Corbyn randomly berating 10 years of a Tory government.
