INTERMISSION

This Irish comedy is a delightful ensemble piece that really should've gotten more attention when it played theaters last year. It's sort of like SHORT CUTS or THE SAFETY OF OBJECTS in that there's a whole web of interlocking relationships between these characters which the viewer gradually pieces together. Somehow, it manages to steer clear of the THE FULL MONTY effect--it's quirky, but never precious or hard to swallow.

Playing a petty thief, Colin Farrell is the biggest name here (he should definitely stick to stuff like this instead of ALEXANDER) but some of the rest of the cast should be familiar if you've seen a lot of Irish or Scottish cinema: Cillian Murphy, Colm Meany and Shirley Henderson among many others. Everyone's good, but Henderson in particular is fabulous--let's just say she's hilarious and heartbreaking, and I felt like cheering when she told off her family early on. Not a profound first film for director john Crowley, but an awfully fun one.