INTERMISSION
Reviewed by: Harvey S. Karten Grade: B+ IFC Films Directed by: John Crowley Written by: Mark O'Rowe Cast: Colin Farrell, Shirley Henderson, Kelly Macdonald, Colm Meaney, Cillian Murphy Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 2/2/04
There's something about the rain in Ireland, maybe what it does for the complexion, that makes the Irish the best-looking people in the world. If you don't believe that, count up the number of Irish-American actors in Hollywood cinema and you'll see. John Crowley, who directs "Intermission," may be in accord with this viewpoint, but like all good film-makers he gets under that beautiful skin to expose the blemishes in the his characters. Everyone, in fact, is flawed to some extent in "Intermission," each in his or her own way. What's more, Crowley does not repeat himself: no two characters are imperfect in the same way.
Consider how easily the personal stories in "Intermission" have a way of bringing diverse people together: folks whose paths might never cross had there not been an incident or two that appear unrelated to their separate lives but which result in their odd intermingling. If the flutter of a butterfly's wings in Europe can cause a typhoon in New York, then the throwing of a stone by a mischievous kid in Dublin can lead to both happy and disastrous situations: like marriage and killing (not necessarily in that order).
The principal couple, John (Cillian Murphy) and Deirdre (Kelly Macdonald) have not broken up, but they are taking an intermission in their dating relationship, though their interregnum informs only part of the title of the film which is really about people whose entire lives are on hold, each desiring something that may or may not lead to happiness. When Deirdre takes up with a balding, middle-aged, married banker, Sam (Michael McElhatton) whom she likes because he gives her money and treats her kindly, John realizes what he has lost. While John acts to get her back, with the uncalled for help by others such as Deidre's mustached, spunky sister Sally (Shirley Henderson), the plot is set into motion, a story involving people who'd never ordinarily meet such as a low-life criminal, Lehiff (Colin Farrell); Lehiff's nemesis, the brutal, narcissistic cop Jerry (Colm Meaney); and the banker's jilted wife Noeleen (Deirdre O'Kane) and John's young friend and porno-tape customer Oscar (David Wilmot), who get together for a comically disastrous one-night stand.
Though the chaotic interchange gets sorted out in the end, an all's-not-well-that-ends-well (for most) conclusion, the fun is in the ride taken by people as odd as those in Kirk Jones's quirky film "Waking Ned Devine" (about a village turned asunder when an aging resident wins the lottery). Most of 'em you wouldn't want to spend five minutes with, but even the nastiest two namely the crook and the cop keep the story edgy, from its bellicose singles dance with its predictably desperate lonely people from the ages of 40 through 75, to a detective's determination to chase the crook like "Les Miz"'s Javert's pursuing Jean Valjean.
"Intermission" shows again that pictures distributed by independent channels like IFC Films give us what sophisticated cinephiles go to the movies for: for closely observed personal stories that afford us insight into our own lives.
Rated R. 106 minutes.(c) 2004 by Harvey Karten at Harveycritic@cs.com
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