Search - The Mighty Celt on DVD

Excellent Movie, but with Parental Guidance Needed

Artist & Author | Near Mt. Baker, WA | 02/06/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Don't expect a Disney style cute story in this movie. I'd say that it depicts life in Donal's part of Ireland so realistically that one could think they were watching filmed every-day life there. By this, I mean that there are very few typical film tricks to evoke emotion or to carry the story. The only one I noticed was at the end when the animal control people were confiscating the dogs from the evil trainer. There are actually two stories here; one is Donal's relationship with the dog trainer, and the other is with the man who comes into his life, one who carries a long-held secret. Both stories are interwoven seamlessly into a very satisfying whole.



I do have a couple of caveats, however. The first is that young Donal, about 13 or 14 years old, is shown smoking over and over again. Even when the stranger says it is bad for him, Donal defends it. I don't recall any bad language, once again proving that evil people and 'low class' people can be shown realistically in movies without constant swearing. The second warning to families with young children is that some dogs are being shown (apparently) drowned in a quarry, and the dog trainer slashes the throat of Donal's assigned dog, one that he trained for racing.



Both my wife and I found this movie to be very realistic and it certainly did not lag in any way. I would give it five stars if it weren't for the smoking by a young teen boy. Also, it is graded down a bit because there is not closed captioning, and we simply could not figure out what some (especially the dog trainer) were saying because it the strong Irish dialect of English. All in all, it is an excellent movie about a boy, a dog, and of both betrayal and creating new family ties."

Not your typical dramedy

AIROLF | USA | 07/21/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The movie depicts a story of a little boy trying to save the life of one dog. It's not a Disney portrayal of a boy and his dog, but rather a more realistic telling of the fate of racing greyhounds. If you are a big Gillian Anderson fan, be aware that she has a supporting role here as the protagonist's mother, and so her screentime is limited. Also, beware of the lack of close captioning and the sick Irish accent and slang that is the language of this film."