Waking Ned Devine (1998)

"The words that are spoken at a funeral are spoken too late for the man who is dead."

Director

Kirk Jones

Cast

Ian Bannen - Jackie O'Shea
David Kelly - Michael O'Sullivan
Fionnula Flanagan - Annie O'Shea
Susan Lynch - Maggie O'Toole

Robert Hickey - Maurice O'Toole
Paddy Ward - Brendy O'Toole
James Nesbitt - Finn
Adrian Robinson - Lotto Inspector
Maura O'Malley - Mrs. Kennedy
James Ryland - Dennis Fitzgerald
Fintan McKeown - Pat Mulligan
Eileen Dromey - Lizzy Quinn
Kitty Fitzgerald - Kitty
Dermot Kerrigan - Fr. Patrick
Jimmy Keogh - Ned Devine

There are some stories out there I wish I thought of first. "Waking Ned Devine" is one of them.

It's a simple story with a lot to ponder over. Above all, it's entertaining.

The story starts with lotto balls revealing to millions of ticket holders that they've lost once. Meanwhile, within moments, those same lottery balls change one lucky shlub's life forever. 

News that the lotto winner lives in the small Irish town of Tullymore, which has a population of 52 people, reaches the ears of one of its residents, Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen). He and his long-time friend Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly) try to figure out who among the villagers of Tullymore is the lucky millionaire. 

Along with Jackie's wife, Annie (Fionnula Flanagan), they come up with a scheme to find the winner by inviting the entire town over for a chicken dinner.

When the night ends, and no one seems to be a millionaire, Annie discovers she has one plate of chicken left. She counted the number of chickens herself. And with one left, that means someone didn't show up. That someone is Ned Devine. 

So, Jackie goes to Ned's house to take him his chicken dinner. 

Jackie finds the lights out, the TV on playing static, and Ned Devine stiff in his easy chair with a smile left on his face. In his hand is a lottery ticket with the winning numbers. He died from the shock of winning. 

David Kelly (left) and Ian Bannen in "Waking Ned Devine."

Jackie returns home to tell Annie what happened to Ned. There isn't much they can do about Ned so late at night. 

Jackie has a dream that same night in which he's riding on a boat with Ned, who's heartily enjoying that chicken dinner he missed. In the dream, Ned offers Jackie some of his dinner as they sail on to the light. 

Jackie interprets his dream as Ned's way of saying he wants him and all of Tullymore to share in his lottery jackpot. "Share in the chicken dinner! Share in the winnings" Jackie concludes. 

Before the sun comes up, Jackie goes to get Michael, and together they return to Ned's house to gather his personal information. A new scheme is hatching. They're going to fool the Lottery Commission that Michael is really Ned Devine. 

The plot begins with Jackie calling the Lotto to make a claim. 

When a lotto inspector (Brendon Dempsey) arrives in town, Michael claims to be Ned. But the inspector needs to confirm it with the rest of the Tullymore residents before he can hand over the winnings. He also tells them the prize is near a total of IR£7 million. That's in pounds, by the way.
So, Michael and Jackie offer each villager an equal cut of the winnings if they identify Michael as Ned Devine when the inspector comes back around. And all are in agreement except one person - Lizzy Quinn (Eileen Dromey), the local grouchy cat lady. 

She threatens to blackmail Michael and Jackie by reporting their fraud to the lotto commission for ten-percent award unless they agree to give her £1 million cut from Ned's winnings. 

There are other subplots taking place as well.

The local pig farmer, Finn (James Nesbitt) is trying to win the affection of Maggie O'Toole (Susan Lynch) who has feelings for him. But she can't get past the stench of the pigs that linger around Finn. 

Despite his best efforts to hide the pig smell with various sweet scented soaps, Maggie still can't get past the smell of the pigs. 

Finn is convinced he's the father of Maggie's son, Maurice (Robert Hickey). 

He's also up against Pat Mulligan (Fintan McKeown) who is trying to win Maggie's affection. 

Also, one of the villagers, Kitty (Kitty Fitzgerald), has a bit of a crush on old Michael. She's been trying to win his affection for a long time. When they ask her to tell the lotto man that Michael is really Ned, this opens an opportunity for her to have a date with Michael. She agrees if he'll take her out. 

All in all, everything flows smoothly. The humor is genuine and seems so natural. Nothing is outlandish or off-the-wall. It's all lighthearted, but with an edge. Greed!

Despite the charming elements in this movie, I have slightly mixed feelings about it. 

Primarily, the ending is off-putting for me. In fact, the entire scenario with Maggie and her son, who is 11 or 12-years-old is off-putting. She clearly slept around Tullymore while leading Finn by a string as he wondered for all that time if he was Maurice's father or not.

At the end, she tells Jackie who Maurice's father actually is. There's nothing charming about that subplot which adds nothing to the movie. 

As for the rest, the characters are certainly likeable and memorable. Maybe that's their Irish charm shining through? Very likely! The actors are clearly having fun in their performances as they appear at ease and in their element. This is especially true for David Kelly and Ian Bannen. Their characters and performances are unforgettable. Jackie is driven by greed which he strives to justify. Michael, on the other hand, is a follower who works on doing what Jackie wants him to do. And once he realizes that he's doing a great job at fooling the lottery man, his self-confidence spikes a bit.  

The story gets more and more complex but somehow manages to work itself out as though fate is on the side of everyone in Tullymore, except Lizzie. And how she gets her comeuppance! It's human nature up against mega bucks at its best.

The shots of Ireland are amazing and truly well executed. The soundtrack is entertaining and catchy. It's obvious what's going to happen in the end. The fun of watching this small Irish village getting to that point is what makes the movie enjoyable. "Waking Ned Devine" is a quaint and hilarious fraud. It's difficult not to like it.