Everlasting Piece, An

Story Line: Disgruntled prison barbers (McEvoy, O'Byrne) hope to corner the toupee market in Northland Ireland upon obtaining a client list from former wig salesman and current inmate "Scalper" (Connolly). However, their customers in Belfast include IRA members with little use for Protestant toupee merchants.

Bottom Line: It's a long way from Baltimore to Belfast, but director Levinson makes the journey in grand style. An Everlasting Piece is never side-splittingly hilarious, but it's consistently funny, which is more than can be said for most comedies these days. Of course, the premise is absurd, but the performances are so smooth that viewers will be more than willing to suspend disbelief. McEvoy, who wrote the script, is particularly good as the Catholic barber, but the entire cast, right down to the bit players, merits commendation. Although Levinson's film is episodic, the individual incidents are staged with such verve and color that renters won't be disturbed by the paucity of plot. From a box-office standpoint the cast is weak, but Levinson's reputation and the growing popularity of Irish comedies will put this film over. --E.H