Closing The Ring

This Richard Attenborough film looks and feels like an “old-fashion” movie with a portrait of endless love that will take you back and forth in time from the ‘40’s to the 90’s, it is a bittersweet melodrama that some will find moving while others will dismiss as bland and hardly credible.

Basically there are four stories running simultaneously, two in Ireland and two in Branagan, Michigan; then two are happening in the early 40’s and two in the early ‘90’s. Obviously all stories are connected and lead to one simple story that perhaps if the director had chosen to tell without moving in time, it could have been simpler to follow but definitively it would have been less interesting. Tells the story of a woman, Ethel and three close friends that love her, but she really loves Teddy, a man that her parents would not approve. The simple story is about digging up the past both literally and figuratively, about coming to terms with life, and the need to honor the promises we make.

The story is told via flashbacks from the older characters with Shirley MacLaine playing widowed Ethel and have to say that is quite different to be able to see her performing a non-likeable character as her character is absolutely sour, grumpy and well, disgusting. Then you have Christopher Plummer playing older Jack and his performance is acceptable, as well as all the younger characters played by Misha Barton (Ethel), Gregory Smith (Jack), Stephen Amell (Teddy) and David Alpay (Chuck). Then the same applies to the Irish side of the story performances where you have Pete Postlethwaite playing Michael Quinlain, John Travers as young Quinlain, Marint McCann as Jimmy Reilly, and Brenda Flicker as Grandma Reilly.

Not a cinema masterpiece but one that could touch the emotions of especially adults that like movies liked the Notebook. The movie had two nominations at the Irish Awards.

I cannot say that I didn’t like it, I enjoy it as a period drama with good production values and well, truth is that I shred at least one tear at the end when Shirley MacLaine’s character becomes human, even do I couldn’t help thinking that the make you feel good ending it was too Hollywood for me.

Enjoy a little…