Color, PG-13 (mature themes, language, sexual situations, brief nudity), 109 min., DVD $27.98, VHS rental
DVD: director's commentary, nine deleted scenes, featurette
Street: May 11, Prebook: April 14
First Run: L, Nov. 2003, $14 mil.
Cast: Paddy Considine (24 Hour Party People),
Samantha Morton (Minority Report),
Djimon Honsou (Amistad),
Sarah Bolger (A Secret Affair),
Emma Bolger
Director: Jim Sheridan
FOX
Story Line: In the early '80s, Sarah (Morton) and Johnny Sullivan (Considine) illegally emigrate to America from Canada with their young daughters Christy (Emma Bolger) and Ariel (Sarah Bolger). The Irish family settles in a dilapidated tenement in East Harlem, where they struggle with poverty, a haunting incident from the past and their rough neighborhood, while Christy and Ariel befriend a reclusive artist who lives downstairs.
Bottom Line: This outstanding memoir from director Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father) and his two screenwriting daughters takes a sensitive look at the travails of an impoverished family trying to make ends meet while hoping to experience the little things that comprise their version of the American dream. The film's free-flowing, anecdotal structure focuses on incidents and character, rather than plot, which partly explains why this well-reviewed film didn't click with mass audiences in the U.S. Several gem-like scenes stand out--one set during a Halloween contest at the sisters' school, the other at a street carnival--and the principal players bring depth to their often difficult roles. The Bolger sisters were incredible and Morton and Honsou were nominated for an Oscar for their performances. To customers willing to forgo expectation regarding traditional storytelling methods, retailers can strongly recommend this title for a compelling cinematic experience, filled with equal amounts of sadness and sweetness. --Irv Slifkin