The Virgin of Liverpool (2003)

Director:

Lee Donaldson

Writer:

Gil Brailey (writer)

Release Date:

11 November 2005 (Ireland)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Family

Plot:

Cast

Ricky Tomlinson	...	Frank Conlon
Imelda Staunton	...	Sylvia, Conlon
Johnny Vegas	...	Jackie Symes
Katie Ellen Jones	...	Joanne Conlon
Tom Georgeson	...	Father Keane
Michael Angelis	...	Chalky White
Ian Puleston-Davies	...	Cecil
Jackie Downey	...	Mrs. Mackenzie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jake Abraham	...	Bill
David Allcock	...	Photographer
Ashley McKechnie	...	Stephen Conlon
Reece Noi	...	Wesley Churchill
Mathew Pollard	...	Spiritual Leader

Runtime:

UK:91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Spain:13

Company:

Fatts

A highly entertaining film

A marvelous must-see film. It was shown here on cable television and what the Hebrew speakers made of it I do not know. I understand that it was never released because the makers went bust so search for it on eBay, DVD from the far east or Amazon. This is British humour at its best. And, no, you cannot borrow my copy! Set in Liverpool with stunning photography, it oozes Liverpool humour and wit. I worked there for 18 months a long time ago (30 years) and it rolled back the years. The acting is uniformly brilliant and it would really be wrong to single out any of the actors, even a personal favorite Tom Georgeson, a knockout in a small role as a priest.

At only 90 minutes, it flies by and leaves you wanting more. A simple story of a wooden Madonna that the church does not want and is rescued by a richly comical Catholic family headed by Ricky Tomlinson as a bus driver. There follows a series of very funny incidents that culminate in spectacular aerial shots of Liverpool.

My own favorite scene involves the boy of the house and his mother's mail-order catalogue but I will not spoil it, nor might IMDb allow me to elucidate. But how can I leave out the raid on the Rastafarian home? Or the bus driving scenes? A special mention of the singing. If that was Imelda Staunton in a very good Scouse accent, a pure revelation.

Kill to see this film. If you appreciate British humour, they don't come much funnier than this,