Displaying items by tag: Charles Cottam

THE PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE

Ireland, 2024, 102 minutes, Colour.

Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Lucianne McAvoy, Jane Levy, Des Keogh, Niall Buggy, Michael Mullen.

Directed by Chris Cottam.

An evocative title – especially in relationship to the Irish, two Americans, and you hate-love traditional relationships!

The setting is a village in Ireland, 2022 (though with the photo of Pope John Paul II on the wall rather than the two succeeding popes!). An old man is ill, dying, remembers the story of his grandfather and granduncle and their falling out, one staying in Ireland, the other going to the United States and prospering. His desire is that the feud end before he dies. He advises his son, growing older, managing the funeral parlour business, to phone the cousin in America and invite him to Ireland.

The son is played by Colm Meaney, veteran of many Irish and International dramas and comedies. The American is played by Paul Reiser who co-wrote the screenplay and produced the film. At first, everything is friendly and engaging. However, the old man has left a will which divides the property between the two cousins, leading to all kinds of complications and feuds, one upping ship, touches of vengeance!

However, all is finally reconciled, not without some comic touches and various glimpses of life in the village, the older men, the gossipy manager of the hotel, the American’s daughter, the Irishman is ex-wife, and, in Catholic Ireland, the priest at the funeral – young, biretta and mpoustache, his sermon, touching on the situation, but his appearance more like an Irish comedy, and a Father Ted or something similar!

There is a surprise ending with the same-sex marriage, officiated over by the Garda official, but with the priest amongst the congregation.

But, after all the feuding, peace and a happy ending.

1. Title, Ciaran and Barry and their interactions? Island in the US…? Human nature?
2. The Irish setting, the countryside, the village, homes, funeral parlour, the pub? The American settings, offices, homes? The musical score, the Irish town?
3. The history of Ireland and the United States, the 19^th century, the potato famine, the migrations, the 20^th century, the Irish looked down on, making their way? Austria Ireland, family differences, feuds? Lingering on?
4. Focus, his age, health, memories of his grandfather, his granduncle, their feud? The photos? The visual style of the flashback narrative of the relationship between the brothers, island, sailing to America, in America? His desire for reconciliation before he died?
5. Ciaran, his age, the divorce, later revelation of his marriage to Fiona? At home with his father, the funeral parlour? His status in the town, friends? His father’s explanation about the feud, the demand to contact Barry, the phone call, the conversation, Barry ringing back, his coming? At the airport, meeting, at the hotel, at the pub, meeting all the friends, the father telling the story, the toast? The happy reconciliation?
6. Barry, US, is this man, the phone calls, relations with his daughter, her baby? The impact of the phone call, his decision to go? His daughter’s urging? The flight, arrival, lonely, meeting Ciaran, the hotel, the gossipy manager, and a propensity for giving him towels, his room, going to the pub, the drinks, the singing, friendly, focused telling the story?
7. The bond, the friendship, the people of the town, young and old, characters? Fiona? The black character and his work at the funeral parlour, never having met an American before Barry?
8. Fergus and his death, the reactions? Grief? Barry and his elaborate sobbing at the funeral, Ciaran’s reaction? The discovery of the will? At the cemetery, the awkward homily of the priest, his appearance, moustache and beretta, young? Ciaran’s behaviour, Fiona challenging him, his apology?
9. Seamus, the Will, division of the property, the effect on Ciaran, the effect on Barry? Fiona and her intervention, urging Ciaran at the funeral to tell Barry the truth? Ciaran and his anger?
10. The to-ing and fro-ing of the love-hate relationship, one upping ship, letting Ciaran have the house, then bringing in the builders to block the view, the wall? Incident with the sheep? The intervention of the police, arresting Barry, in jail, the interventions and Barry winning with the police? The incident with Fiona, the revelation that she was Ciaran’s wife?
11. Barry and his daughter arriving, is exercises, urinary trouble, collapse? Ciaran and his collapse? In the hospital together, the curtain on the view, the compromise?
12. The daughter arriving, seen Fiona, instant falling in love?
13. Out of hospital, friendship restored, Fiona and the daughter and the wedding, the guard officer officiating, everybody present, Ireland and same-sex marriages, civil ceremony, the priest and his presence?
14. An Irish comedy, an American writer, and 21^st-century Irish humour?