I remember seeing the preview for this movie on a video I had rented back in 1993 or so from my video store and I thought it was pretty funny so when I saw it was in stock I rented it and I wasn't disappointed. Bob Hoskins carries this movie in his role of Johnny Scanlan. We all have a brother or uncle who carries the load during times of grief as this movie is set in.
William Petersen (of CSI fame) plays the idiot brother who's surprise party kills his father (played by Jack Warden) who had just recovered from a massive heart attack. The mother played by the great Maureen Stapleton wants a "fine Irish wake" at the house for her husband and it takes off from there.
Charlie Peters who wrote and directed the film did an amazing job and I personally believe this is one of the most underrated movie's of the early 90's.
It's not a completely perfect movie. The side storyline with Nora (played by Francis McDormand) being a revolutionary nun and bringing a rebel leader with her to hide him out at the house could have been done away with, but it provides for one of the funniest scenes in the movie where the INS is searching the house for him so they move the father out of the coffin and bring him upstairs and have the illegal hide in the coffin. I don't want to ruin the whole scene, but the "ITS A MUSCLE CONTRACTION" line will have you in tears from laughing.
Overall it's a good movie to watch on a weekend afternoon or at night if nothing of interest is on cable. If you can track down a copy of the video you should get it and I really wish they would put it on DVD for region 1 (Amazon only has it for Region 2).
William Petersen (of CSI fame) plays the idiot brother who's surprise party kills his father (played by Jack Warden) who had just recovered from a massive heart attack. The mother played by the great Maureen Stapleton wants a "fine Irish wake" at the house for her husband and it takes off from there.
Charlie Peters who wrote and directed the film did an amazing job and I personally believe this is one of the most underrated movie's of the early 90's.
It's not a completely perfect movie. The side storyline with Nora (played by Francis McDormand) being a revolutionary nun and bringing a rebel leader with her to hide him out at the house could have been done away with, but it provides for one of the funniest scenes in the movie where the INS is searching the house for him so they move the father out of the coffin and bring him upstairs and have the illegal hide in the coffin. I don't want to ruin the whole scene, but the "ITS A MUSCLE CONTRACTION" line will have you in tears from laughing.
Overall it's a good movie to watch on a weekend afternoon or at night if nothing of interest is on cable. If you can track down a copy of the video you should get it and I really wish they would put it on DVD for region 1 (Amazon only has it for Region 2).