The Book That Wrote Itself (1999)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Liam O Mochain

Writer:

Liam O Mochain (writer)

Release Date:

8 August 2000 (Ireland)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Wanted: Filmmaker to document mad and amusing novel on video. Will pay a small fee.

Plot:

Vincent Macken has wriiten his magnus Opus but nobody will publish it. To prove to the publishers and his detractors that his novel is great...

Plot Keywords:

Irish | Celebrity | Black Comedy | Independent Film

Cast

Liam O Mochain	...	Vincent Macken
Antoinette Guiney	...	Aisling Arrigan
Orlaith Rafter	...	Shauna
Paul Mahon	...	Sean
Phillip Owen	...	Derek
Marco Van Belle	...	Literary Agent 1
Kristian Marken	...	Literary Agent 2
Edward Naessens	...	Security Guard
Carole Meyers	...	Deirdre Ni Laighean / Diva
Mike Carberry	...	Ray Carr
Sarah Pilkington	...	Radio Reporter
Seán Ó Coisdealbha	...	Mico Seoighe
Fred McCluskey	...	John
Sara O Toole	...	Sheila
Mo McMorrow	...	Marian O Donnell

Runtime:

71 min | Argentina:71 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Ireland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Ireland:12 | UK:15 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Cork, County Cork, Ireland

Company:

Siar A Rachas Muid Productions

Trivia:

George Clooney, Kenneth Brannagh, Melanie Griffith, Chazz Palminteri, Bryan Singer, Warren Beatty, Catherine Deneuve, Jean Reno and Annette Benning appeared in the movie as unwitting cameos.

Movie Connections:

References The Butcher Boy (1997)

Amateur effort

A would-be writer submits his historical novel to a couple of publishers. When they slam his writing talents (or lack thereof) and claim the book isn't believable, he sets out to prove them wrong by acting out the book in real, modern-day life, and hiring a photographer to film it. Some good ideas, but this ultra low-budget effort reeks of amateurism: the acting is weak, the script poor, the camerawork undistinguished. It deserves some credit for effort and ambition, but its shortcomings cannot be overlooked. The last 10 or 15 minutes are the most interesting, when the director works in interviews with real-life film stars at the Venice film festival, including George Clooney, Kenneth Branagh and Melanie Griffith -- but these scenes bear almost no relation to the rest of the movie!! At the end of the day, this is a film which friends and relatives of those involved can enjoy and admire, like a home movie -- for general audiences, there's little to connect with.