Oh, 'The Matchmaker'. Is there a more perfect film around?? If you're looking for high-brow entertainment,certainly, but if you want something fluffy to watch on a lonely afternoon then this is what you are seeking.
Set for the most part in Ireland, 'The Matchmaker' follows an American city girl who is thrust into a rural setting when her boss, an American senator, sends her to Balinagragh (have no idea how to spell it!) in order to seek out his Irish roots. She accepts the mission, is thrust into the heart of an Irish matchmaking festival, meets a charming Irish rogue and falls in love with the inhabitants of the town. So far, so predictable. However this film is charming and comic; especially in its portrayal or rural/small town Irish life - the depictions are scarily realistic.
Garofalo is in her prime in this role; both age-wise and in terms of her performance, as she is portraying a character who is still slightly cynical, but less bitchy and more likable than many of her previous characters. The supporting cast is great and provides the majority of the film's charm; Milo O'Shea particularly standing out as the local matchmaker.
These factors, plus the fact that I'm a sucker for an Irish accent,make this film one of the most enjoyable of those i have on my shelves and is watched again and again.
Set for the most part in Ireland, 'The Matchmaker' follows an American city girl who is thrust into a rural setting when her boss, an American senator, sends her to Balinagragh (have no idea how to spell it!) in order to seek out his Irish roots. She accepts the mission, is thrust into the heart of an Irish matchmaking festival, meets a charming Irish rogue and falls in love with the inhabitants of the town. So far, so predictable. However this film is charming and comic; especially in its portrayal or rural/small town Irish life - the depictions are scarily realistic.
Garofalo is in her prime in this role; both age-wise and in terms of her performance, as she is portraying a character who is still slightly cynical, but less bitchy and more likable than many of her previous characters. The supporting cast is great and provides the majority of the film's charm; Milo O'Shea particularly standing out as the local matchmaker.
These factors, plus the fact that I'm a sucker for an Irish accent,make this film one of the most enjoyable of those i have on my shelves and is watched again and again.