The Matchmaker (1997)

As she does in The Truth About Cats and Dogs, Janeane Garofalo proves she's a capable leading lady--beautiful, charming, self-effacing, and what used to be referred to as sharp as a tack. Garofalo plays Marcy, aide to dim Massachusetts senator McGlory (Jay O. Sanders). Denis Leary is appropriately slimy as a fellow aide. The senator and Nick dispatch Marcy to the remote (and fictitious) Irish town of Ballinagra, where she's supposed to unearth relatives to use in the senator's PR campaign. Along the way, Marcy not only encounters the eccentric locals, but finds herself in the maelstrom of the town's annual matchmaking festival. The single Marcy inadvertently catches the eye of the movie's eponymous matchmaker Dermot (a captivating Milo O'Shea). Dermot senses sparks between Marcy and the equally cynical, recently returned local boy, Sean (David O'Hara), once a successful journalist who's returned home to work on a book. The intimacies of the small town, the relationships between the locals, and the dialogue are credible and engaging. Look for beautiful cinematography and music, too. Also notable is the movie's ability to convey the feel of a foreign film while injecting humor that's both sarcastically American and yet Irish in trademark. --N.F. Mendoza Amazon.com

Funny, Warm and Smart

Loved it! I will skip the story synopsis since other reviewers have covered it very well so I'll say that this is not your typical romantic comedy and thank goodness for that.

Janeane Garofalo ad David O'Hara are ideal actors for characters that are smart and funny with just the right amount of cynicism and vulnerability under the surface to make them seem real, relatable. They reminded me of people I actually know. Very refreshing.

And what I found REALLY refreshing was to see the male lead actively and very directly chase the girl (like a man is supposed to, lol) and the female lead while not initially receptive, was also not a bitter, angry shrew. There's conflict of course, or we wouldn't be interested in watching, but again, because the characters are well written and well cast, there's no need for an over the top situation to keep the couple apart and somehow, lo and behold, the audience still roots for them to get together! Finally, a modern romantic comedy that doesn't rely on the lead characters having to fight and bicker for 45 minutes to an hour before hooking up.

It doesn't hurt that there's a talented supporting cast that includes Denis Leary and that the film was shot on location in Ireland so the scenery is beautiful. The music is great too.

For an incognito romantic like myself, this one is a keeper. July 14, 2008

Great Movie!

This movie is for any day when you can't decide what to watch. It's a great laugh! July 6, 2008

Romance in the Shamrock Lane. Two green thumbs up!

Romance in the Shamrock Lane on a big green bus!!!!!

We are talking comedy and charm in big doses! This is a well written, fast paced, script about romance.... with some blue language hovering in the air from time to time.
In Ireland they'd say "soft weather," regarding the rain....Here it might be said "blue weather ahead," not appropriate for young children.

Nevertheless, this sweet little romance, is worth it's price, because you will want to re watch it, from time to time, say...on a rainy night... with a cup of tea, when you have a cold, and enjoy some good craic (that's Irish for fun, but you already knew that didn't you?

And this tiny film will also manage to amuse the gents; it's not a typical chick flick! This film was a, "two thumbs up," from Siskal & Ebert: High praise indeed!


The main characters interact well and of course; while we all know it's not real life, we want to believe that this could happen to us! Some of us would hope.... "For a second time around...."

It does feature a terrific cast and the wonderful scenery of County Clare in Western Ireland. The secondary characters remind us that this movie is truly about the spirit, cleverness, and determination of the Irish people; even against the insanity of the American political machine: politicians, political campaigns, and everyone involved.

We want to buy into the myth that true love awaits each of us, away from home, or, in this case, over the big blue pond, no matter how spotty our complexions, how homely, how plump; how unsuitable, or ill matched. Our next true love will see beyond the outer surface into our hearts of gold, and they are waiting.... to be found at an Irish matchmaking festival.

It does shortchange Irish women- being mostly about the Americans coming over to capture the hearts of the Irish menfolk...until one cunning Irish lass manages to snatch the Senators heart. One of the minor characters is Marcy's friend; a young woman with a strong heart who runs the hotel and manages the menfolk, no small feat.

Janeane Garafalo is brilliant as the young but jaded campaign aid/advisor; David O'Hara is a surprise; he sets out to win her heart, and wins ours, in the process. O'Shay is a rascal, that we love from the first moment we set eyes upon him. Denis Leary steals the show as the evil Campaign manager who will use and abuse anyone to suit his own needs.

While the scenery also plays a starring role....an Irish friend of mine recently was heard to grumble, "It's not all Guinness running from the taps, and butter and eggs hanging from the trees, in Ireland."

The scenes on Innishear Island are lovely and the scene at Shannon Airport is haunting when Marcey gazes upon the mural of President John Kennedy. She manages to mispronounce names that most tourists know well; and most campaign aids would have researched with Mapquest and Google, in this day, and age.

Still, it's a "perfek" little international romance (in the words of Pop Larkin, in The Darling Buds Of May!)

Enjoy........


If you enjoy this movie I also recommend: Waking Ned Devine, Widows Peak, and The Darling Buds of May, where a very young Catherine Zeta Jones made her screen debut.

Slan, Y'all!!!!
:^)
McKai
May 27, 2008

A little disappointed ...

I was a disappointed with The Matchmaker. Too many Irish stereotypes are in the film. The film definitely views Irish people through uneducated American eyes. Not authentic. This is my first review on anything purchased on [...]. May 22, 2008

The things a girl has to do to keep her job

Marcy Tizard (Garafalo) spends 98% of her time working on US Senator John McGlory's (Sanders) re-election campaign. The rest--she sleeps.

Unfortunately, the campaign is not doing well and the Boston-based Senator is going to need some serious support to pull the election off. Who's he going to call? The ancestors!

It's a brilliant plan: go to the ancestral village in Ireland, dig up some family, record a photo op and some sound bytes, and McGlory's a shoo-in for the Boston Irish vote.

When Marcy gets to Ireland, she has two problems. One, no one's ever heard of the McGlory's and two, there's a matchmaking festival going on.

Yes, a matchmaking festival. Women from all over come to this particular spot in Ireland to find a husband. And Dermot O'Brien is the best of the matchmakers--or so he claims.

"The Matchmaker" only got funnier the second time we saw it. My husband and I were laughing so hard in places, we had to pause the DVD so we didn't miss anything.
If you enjoy Irish music and biting humor--this is definitely a film for you. If you enjoy a little romance--you're going to like it, too.

We rented this film, but at this price, I am going to add it to our collection. It's well worth another watch every four years or so. January 7, 2008

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