| Waking Ned | |
|---|---|
US DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Kirk Jones |
| Produced by | Richard Holmes Glynis Murray |
| Written by | Kirk Jones |
| Starring | Ian Bannen David Kelly Fionnula Flanagan |
| Music by | Shaun Davey |
| Cinematography | Henry Braham |
| Editing by | Alan Strachan |
| Studio | Canal+ Tomboy Films |
| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 20, 1998 |
| Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom France |
| Language | English Latin Gaelic |
| Budget | $3 million |
| Box office | $55,257,450 |
Waking Ned (titled Waking Ned Devine in North America) is a 1998 comedy film by English writer and director Kirk Jones. It stars Ian Bannen, David Kelly and Fionnula Flanagan. Kelly was nominated for a Screen Actors' Guild award for his role as Michael O'Sullivan. The film is set in Ireland but was filmed on location in the Isle of Man. It was produced by Canal+ and the British studio Tomboy Films and distributed by the American company Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Contents |
When word reaches Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) and Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly), two elderly best friends, that someone in their tiny Irish village of 52 people in Tulaigh Mhór (Tullymore) has won the Irish National Lottery's Lotto game, they, along with Jackie's wife Annie (Fionnula Flanagan), go to great lengths to find the winner so they can share the wealth. After a chicken-dinner plot to narrow down their list of suspects, they pay a midnight visit to the only absentee: Ned Devine (Jimmy Keogh). They find Ned in his home, still holding the ticket in his hand, a smile on his face and dead of shock. Jackie is later convinced by a dream that the deceased Ned wants to share the winnings with his friends, as he has no family to claim the ticket.
Elsewhere in the village, Maggie O'Toole (Susan Lynch) continues to spurn the romantic interests of her old flame, "Pig" Finn (James Nesbitt), a local pig farmer. Finn is convinced they belong together, as he thinks he is the father of her son Maurice, but she cannot abide him due to his ever present odor of pigs.
After discovering that the lottery winnings are far greater than anticipated, Jackie and Michael are forced to involve the entire village in fooling the claim inspector. The 51 villagers enter a pact to pretend that Ned is alive and well, by having Michael pose as him, even to the point of pretending Ned's funeral is a service for Michael when the claim inspector wanders into the church. However, the local curmudgeon, Lizzie Quinn (Eileen Dromey), decides not to enter the pact and attempts to blackmail the entire village by reporting the fraud and receiving ten percent of the lottery share. As the villagers celebrate their winnings at the local pub, she attempts to phone the lottery office from a phone box outside the village. Before she can deliver her message, though, the departing claim inspector loses control of his car, forcing an oncoming van to crash into the phone box, sending it plummeting off a tall cliff and crashing to the ground below with Quinn still inside.
At the celebration, Jackie spots Maggie, who is content that Finn is going to give up pig farming to marry her now that he can afford to. Jackie approves, adding that Maurice needs a father in his life. "More than seven million pounds?" she asks, nodding to her son. She then reveals that Maurice is related to Ned, but does not reveal how, stating, "Ned does have a family, Jackie".[1] Jackie urges her to claim the entire fortune, but Maggie is sure that Maurice needs a father more and the villagers need the money. The film closes with Jackie, Michael, and several others standing on a hill and raising their glasses to Ned, toasting him for his gift to the village.
The film was shot on the Isle of Man, with the village of Cregneash standing in for the fictional Irish village of Tulaigh Mhór.
Waking Ned grossed $24.79 million dollars in North America and $30.46 million internationally, for a grand total of $55.25 million worldwide.[2] The film received positive reviews and holds a "fresh" rating of 83% on the film aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes.[3] Kirk Jones was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer.[4] The film was nominated for and won several other awards including the Screen Actors Guild, Satellite Awards, and the National Board of Review.[4]
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