Waking Ned Devine

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Waking Ned Devine ★★★½ 1998 (PG)

Old Ned Devine has the winning ticket for the Irish National Lottery—unfortunately, the shock has killed him. Jackie-O'Shea (Bannen) and the other 50 still-living residents of Tulaigh Morh conspire tofool a bored lottery official (Dempsey) into prothinkingthat Michael O'Sullivan (Kelly) is Devine, so that they can share the wealth.As each obstacle to the payoff is over-come, a larger hurdle appears, and thecomedy becomes more and more screw-ball until it reaches its darkly comic conclusion. Warm and full of blarney, but neverbecomes too sappy, or contrived. Filmedon the beautiful Isle of Man and accentedwith a fine score full of Celtic melodies.Veteran cast carries off even the most improbable gags (including Kelly's buck-naked motorcycle ride). 91m/C VHS, DVD . Ian-Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan, Susan-Lynch, James Nesbitt, Maura O'Malley, RobertHickey, Paddy Ward, James Ryland, Fintan-McKeown, Matthew Devitt, Eileen Dromey, Dermot-Kerrigan, Brendan F. Dempsey; D: Kirk Jones; W: Kirk Jones; C: Henry Braham; M: Shaun Davey.