When Ned Devine dies from shock after winning the lottery, two longtime friends, Micheal and Jackie, discover the body and agree Ned would want them to benefit from his good luck. They embark upon an outrageous scheme to c... more »laim the ticket but first they have to get all the townsfolk to go along with their plan!« less
The beginning was fun and then it went downhill. The rating is most definitely inflated. Avoid this!
0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Sharon F. (Shar) from AVON PARK, FL Reviewed on 9/4/2022...
I see other reviews that loved this movie...not so much for me. The British humor and accents were hard for me. I did love the storyline and thought it was cute.
1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Nina E. Reviewed on 7/18/2013...
Well acted and absolutely hysterical British wit! Awesome cast of characters. James Nesbitt, as Pig Finn. Ian Bannen, as Jackie O'Shea. Susan Lynch, as Maggie O'Toole. David Kelly, and Fionnula Flanagan. Kelly was nominated for a Screen Actors' Guild award for his role as Michael O'Sullivan. The film is set in Ireland, but was filmed on location in the Isle of Man. It was produced by Canal+ and the British studio Tomboy Films and distributed by the American company Fox Searchlight Pictures.
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Martha K. from NEWFIELDS, NH Reviewed on 4/30/2013...
This is one of the funniest and most heart warming movies. Characters are all well portrayed by awesome Irish (or very nearly Irish) actors. Everyone would enjoy Waking Ned Devine.
3 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Carol J. from TRAVELERS RST, SC Reviewed on 2/11/2011...
An absolutely charming movie. Excellent acting with "age-appropriate" actors. Recommended.
1 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Kathleen O. (Kathleen) from WALDPORT, OR Reviewed on 11/8/2010...
This is one of the most well acted movies I have seen in a long time. It is also one of the funniest. A small village in Ireland tries to outwit the lotto man. It is a classic to be sure. Cheers and Enjoy!
0 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Lorca S. from BOZEMAN, MT Reviewed on 12/15/2009...
Witty and sweet and fun.
0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Mary C. from ERIE, PA Reviewed on 11/19/2009...
If you want to laugh out loud until your belly hurts, this is the movie for you! Truly, the funniest movie I have ever seen. Coming from a large Irish family, I saw all my relatives in this movie and enjoyed it thoroughly.
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Robyn M. from PIE TOWN, NM Reviewed on 8/12/2009...
This movie is very entertaining. It's set in Ireland and the scenery is amazing. The people in the little town are so delightful with their gossip and how they all work together to split the lotto money won by Ned Devine, who died when he realized he had won. Their loyalties and relationships, their small town secrets and daily dramas, are very beautifully and realistically played out. It's a funny and clean movie that's very deep. Great to watch.
1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Marc M. (mojofilmguy) Reviewed on 10/17/2008...
This is a Terrific movie which as one of the other reveiewers said:Is a Feelgood Movie.
Very Funny and Underrated. Great acting from British or Irish actors.
The plot is a doozy: Two old friends drop in on a third friend and find he is dead. But he is holding the winning lottery ticket which is in His(the dead guy's) name; and can Only Be Cashed by him.
So, one of the living friends assumes his Identity and the whole town(which is ridiculously small so everybody knows everybody else's business) wants in on the action to keep the secret.
You will laugh, maybe even shed a tear or two and in the end you will be glad you tried a movie you probably never heard of.
If you have never seen this I HIGHLY Recommend it !
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
Charming Fairy Tale
Theo Logos | Pittsburgh, PA | 05/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"You may not immediately spot the leprechauns, wizards, and other tell-tale signs, but as you watch `Waking Ned Devine', you will soon realize that what you are seeing is an Irish fairy tale, simple and pure. The signs are all there, and if you are sharp, you will soon start to catch them. First to make its appearance is the pot of gold, disguised as a winning lottery ticket held by some lucky neighbor in the tiny village of Tulaigh Morh. Next, you will discover that the two old men scheming for a piece of the action, blarney filled Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) and his expressive faced scarecrow pal Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly), are but thinly disguised mischievous leprechauns. You will meet a hog keeper (James Nesbitt) waiting for the kiss of a fair maid (Susan Lynch) to reveal him for the prince that he is, and an old hag so black hearted and malevolent that all know her as a witch. And when Ned Devine, the neighbor with the winning ticket, dies from the shock of it, his ghost appears to old Jackie in a dream, setting in motion a plan fanciful as any Puss in Boots ever dreamed of that has the whole village working to outwit the vigilance of the lottery board and the malevolence of the witch, to all claim a piece of the fortune at rainbow's end.
`Waking Ned Devine' will enchant you and make you laugh. From its opening scene until the last verse of The Parting Glass is sung, it will charm you and leave you with a smile, wanting to watch it again.
Theo Logos
"
Lovely, lovely...and holds up to repeated viewing
bensmomma | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 11/03/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I first saw Waking Ned Devine in the movie theater. I quite enjoyed it at the time but had not seen it again until just this weekend. In contrast to essentially ALL comedies I have seen in recent years, this one holds up wonderfully to repeated viewing. It was even better than the first time. Every part, from the stars O'Bannon and Kelly to the smallest walk-ons, is wonderfuly acted. I particularly liked the old sourpuss who rode the motorized cart, the pig farmer, and the young priest. They are all so multidimensional that you can imagine what they are doing when they aren't on screen.The screenplay is wonderful, and the direction is expert. I especially liked the love scenes between Maggie and the pig farmer who smells so bad that she has to stay yards away from him at all times. Imagine an affecting, humorous, and believable love scene where the participants don't even touch each other!Another plus is that this is actually a great family movie. Although it is in no way designed for kids, my 8-year-old laughed all the way through it. He especially liked the famous naked motorcycle ride!Definitely worth owning (not just renting)!"
It's a Sleeper but it won't make You Sleepy
Greg Perry | Oklahoma | 03/02/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If hope you see this without knowing ANYthing about the movie except what I write here. Because I won't tell you anything about it. YOU are fortunate, more so than I, because you haven't seen this yet. This is a sleeper movie, one that is far better than the public generally knows. Be ready to enjoy a symphony of acting. If you don't like foreign films (I didn't) this may very well be the first you enjoy (and then see Run Lola Run, one that is 100% different from this but another foreign movie for people who don't think they like foreign movies)."
Delightful
C. Ebeling | PA USA | 01/15/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I never get tired of this film or it's music (and I rarely go for soundtracks, but I picked up this one). Leonard Maltin's movie book calls this a "slight" film but I find it huge on charm and heart. It's a well-paced, old-fashioned caper story in which all but two residents (approximately 52 to begin with) of an impoverished remote rural Irish village conspire to collect the big lottery when their old pal, Ned Devine, has died in the excitement of learning he's won. Of the two exceptions, one is the head priest who is conveniently out of town when the story is set in motion and the other is a humorless old crone who threatens to tattle. You can't help but cheer on the chicanery in a film where the humor ranges from the black to the silly to the sentimental. Seems to me the only person who will not be won over by this movie is a humorless old crone. The scenery is stunning."