Michael O'Brian Movies

Pat Boone plays Stephen Cole, a young Irish man who believes himself to be worthy of a promotion from his employer. Believing that his boss instead is practicing nepotism, giving the promotion to his own nephew, Stephen writes--and mails--the company a caustic letter. Before long, however, Stephen finds that he has, indeed, just been named general manager/junior partner rather than the nephew. Now he must rush to London to intercept the letter before it reaches its initial destination. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

Adapted from the classic play by John Millington Synge, The Playboy of the Western World opens with the arrival of a stranger, Christy Mahon, in a small Irish town. Entering Michael James's pub, the locals -- including pretty Pegeen, the innkeeper's daughter -- convince him to tell his story, whereupon he reveals that eleven days previous he hit his mean, persecuting father with a shovel and killed him. Rather than being scandalized, however, the denizens applaud his courage and audacity; James even hires him, thinking the lad will keep his daughter safe from harm when he must be away. Pegeen's fiancé, Shawn, disapproves, but Pegeen dismisses him. Christy grows more bold as he sees the respect and admiration his deed has earned for him. What is he to do, then, when an unexpected visitor shows up -- his father, who it turns out did not die from Christy's blow and who now has come to punish his errant son and take him back home? When he is unmasked in front of all, Christy improvises a solution, but it fails to return him to the town's -- or Pegeen's -- good graces. Eventually, Christy leaves the town, a different man than when he entered. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi