This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
You had me at Back atcha.
Plot Overview
Two Irish farms adjoin each other:
the Reillys and the Muldoons. Young Rosemary Muldoon (Abigail
Coburn) carries a torch for young Anthony Reilly (Darragh O'Kane)
who gets misshaped by rejection from another young colleen Fiona (Anna
Weekes.) He grows up insecure and settled in his bachelor ways
(“He's a bachelor
to the bone”), and Rosemary hasn't gotten married
either. When their parents eventually start to die off, there is some
reluctance to pass the family farm on to Anthony (Jamie Dornan) who
is next in line for it, as it appears the family line would stop with
him. Rosemary (Emily Blunt) is waiting for him to no end, but
Anthony doesn't get the hint, and the woman is not culturally programmed
to initiate the first move. How tragic.
Ideology
Researcher Paul H. Landis writes In Defense of Dating:It is quite logical to believe that some kind of dating is necessary to the development of the judgment and pair interaction that is at the root of real objectivity in mate selection. Those who have dated more than one person have a chance to compare and to learn some of the usual behavior patterns of members of the opposite sex. They learn to distinguish between those whose personalities seem to promise a durable compatibility and those whose personalities obviously do not. Dating is an exploratory experience through which young people learn. In most circles today, therefore, it is considered desirable that young people “circulate” rather than “go steady” from the beginning, that some variety of dating experience is favorable to ultimate mate choice. The girl who is considered desirable as a date by a number of fellows is presumed to be the one most likely to be sought after in marriage. (223)
Rosemary flies to a hot
date in Manhattan with Anthony's American cousin Adam (Jon Hamm.)
The yanks are more direct in their speech than are the island-dwelling
Irish. Maybe she will learn something there. Anthony has a
presumptive date with a stranger who is into revealing secrets
(“I'm a
disgrace.”) Maybe he will start to open up.
As a child Rosemary was told by her father that she was not like other girls. She was a queen, a “white swan,” he called her. That meant she could have anything she wanted. She was not regally bound to troublesome conventions. As a child Anthony contemplated the night sky and hitched his wagon to “a star down low.” He felt like an insect in the vast universe (“I think I'm a bug.”) He was too self-deprecating to put himself forward to a beautiful woman. Dating a passing stranger, however, with whom there would be no repercussions, might help him to open up.
How this movie could ever have a happy ending baffles us. We can take solace in, (Prov. 30:18-19) “There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.” We didn't observe any eagles in the air, but we did see some ballet dancers in “Swan Lake.” The white swan is a “protector.” We didn't see any snakes, but we did get to observe a “restless” horse Blister (“That horse is Satan on four feet.”) He was difficult to corral. And we didn't see a ship at sea, but we did see Anthony lose his balance standing up in a dugout on the lake. There's plenty of action in the movie hard to visually track, so it's no great wonder we can't foresee what will emerge of “a man with a maid.”
Production Values
“” (2020) was written
and directed by John Patrick Shanley, based on his Broadway play
Outside
Mullingar. It stars Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, and Jon Hamm.
Emily Blunt did such a good job portraying a redheaded Irish
lassie that I watched the whole movie thinking it wonderful they'd
found an Irish look-alike of a familiar actress—and I'm a big
fan of hers. Most of the characters were a bit strange but were portrayed
without a false note.
MPAA rated it PG–13 for some thematic elements and suggestive comments. It was filmed in Crossmolina, Mayo, Ireland. The spectacular Irish scenery was done justice by the camera taking time to capture it. Music was by Amelia Warner, and the song “Wild Mountain Thyme” was arranged by Brian Byrra. The accents and dialogue sounded authentic to me, but what do I know? There were some impromptu Irish jig steps thrown in.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
I watched it once and thought it was great. I watched it a second time and thought it was perfect. I refrained from watching it any more for fear of suffering a meltdown. I just reveled in a nostalgic feeling. I grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania, and there was something universal that came across from the country life of Ireland. City folk, however, might just think it's stupid.
Movie Ratings
Action Factor: Weak action scenes. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years with guidance. Special effects: Average special effects. Video Occasion: Good Date Movie. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Five stars out of five.
Works Cited
Scripture quotation from the Authorized King James Version. Pub. 1611, rev. 1769. Software.
Landis, Paul H. Making the Most of Marriage. New York: Meredith Publishing, 1965. Print.
bibles.n7nz.org