The Commitments
The Commitments remains a Dork Report favorite, even some 17 years after first seeing it in the theater. I’ve owned the soundtrack since then, but for whatever reason, had not revisited one of my favorite films. But having recently seen and loved Once, costarring Commitments alum Glen Hansard, I was inspired to check it out one more time and see if I still loved it after all these years. If The Commitments (the band) are the World’s Hardest Working Band, then The Commitments (the movie) may be the World’s Most Unashamedly Crowd-Pleasing Movie. There’s not a single scene that doesn’t charm, amuse, or get me rocking to the sweet sounds of soul music.
Remember kids, heroin(e) kills
Where are they now? Original members Dick Massey and Kenneth McCluskey still tour as The Commitments. Director Alan Parker (look for VHS copies of one of his previous films Birdy in one scene) built on his success with musicals Fame, Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and The Commitments by directing the mammoth production Evita. Andrew Strong (Deco Cuffe), a wee 16 at the time, still has his golden voice and is now a solo artist. Maria Doyle Kennedy (Natalie) is now a star of the television series The Tudors. And Glen Hansard just won some kind of award or another…
Two bits of fun trivia gleaned from the IMDB entry: the actual kid from U2′s Boy and War album covers cameos in the film, and the script racks up a spectacular 145 f-bombs.
The World’s Best Dressed Band
Official movie site: www.foxhome.com/commitments
Buy the soundtrack or DVD from Amazon and kick back a few pennies to The Dork Report.
(Possibly) Related Posts:
- The Swell Season live at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, New York – September 17, 2008
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- Daniel Lanois: Here Is What Is – DVD Review
Written by Chad Ossman
April 17th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
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