The Commitments (film)
From AwardAnnals
| Film: | The Commitments |
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| Director: | Alan Parker |
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| Distributor: | 20th Century Fox |
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Reviews
Amazon.com
An irresistible, comic drama from director Alan Parker (Evita, Mississippi Burning), overflowing and alive with passion, humor, and music, The Commitments showcases some old R&B standards in a new light. A headstrong, fast-talking, ambitious young Dubliner (Robert Arkins) fancies himself a promoter of talent, and sets about assembling and packaging a local Irish R&B band. His group of self-absorbed, backbiting, but stunningly talented individuals begin to succeed beyond his wildest dreams, until petty jealousies and recrimination threaten to scuttle the whole deal. A moody, vivid, and soulful exploration of the Dublin club scene as well as a showcase for some wonderful unknown actors, the film (and its wonderful soundtrack) also features the actual band covering classic soul tunes from the likes of Otis Redding and Sam and Dave. It’s that combination of soul and soul music that makes The Commitments a special little film. —Robert Lane
Barnes and Noble
This unassuming little import from the United Kingdom exploded on U.S. movie screens in 1991, gleaning surprisingly enthusiastic reviews and—despite an unknown cast with nearly impenetrable Irish brogues—delighting American audiences. Director Alan Parker, whose films tend toward being overwrought, hit all the right notes in Roddy Doyle’s engaging story about working-class youths who form a band to bring ‘60s-style soul music to their native Dublin. The group’s ambitious manager (Robert Arkins) has to contend with an insufferably egotistical lead singer (Andrew Strong) and a bed-hopping trumpet player (Johnny Murphy) while fending off the amorous advances of a backup singer (Maria Doyle), but he manages to get “the world’s hardest-working band” into a trendy nightclub nonetheless. The cast members—many of whom made their film debuts in this movie—still register appealingly in sharply defined roles, and their musical performances still impress as not only accomplished but exhilarating. Not yielding to his normal melodramatic predilections, Parker depicted the milieu with near-documentary fidelity, and he made the characters vivid and engaging. Still beguiling, The Commitments is every bit as entertaining today as it was when it premiered. Ed Hulse
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