Brenda Fricker Movies
An Irish actress with strong roots in the theater, Brenda Fricker has excelled onscreen thanks to a matronly appearance that lends itself well to roles which call for an older woman with strong motherly instincts. Fricker started out working in local theater productions in Ireland, and continued on-stage with a stint at the National Theatre in London; before long, the talented rising starlet was taking the stage with both The Royal Shakespeare Company and Great Britain's Court Theater Company. Though, by the mid-'80s, Fricker had already garnered an impressive list of credits thanks to appearances in such made-for-television features as High Kampf (1973) and Your Man from 6 Counties (1976), it was her role as Nurse Roach in the popular U.K. series Casualty that first brought her to the attention of British television viewers. Fricker remained with the series for four years, and it was during that time that she courted international recognition with her role in the acclaimed 1989 drama My Left Foot. Cast as the determined mother of a talented writer and painter who suffers from cerebral palsy, Fricker turned in a memorable performance that placed her high on the list of A-list actors and earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Though such follow-up efforts as the miniseries Relative Strangers (1999) delivered on the promise shown in My Left Foot, it was roles in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), and Masterminds (1997) that kept Fricker's face familiar to stateside audiences. In 1998, she stepped into a leading role in the period drama Painted Angels, playing a sympathetic madam. In the early 2000s, Fricker's career continued to flourish on both U.K. and Canadian television, and in roles in such high-profile projects as Veronica Guerin (2003) and Going Down: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss (2004). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide- 2008
- PG
Prolific actor/director Charles Martin Smith takes the helm for this lighthearted adventure comedy recounting the theft of the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey. Based on the memoirs of Ian Hamilton, Stone of Destiny follows the determined student's reckless quest to make the ultimate symbolic gesture for Scottish independence. Charlie Cox stars in a film featuring Robert Carlyle, Billy Boyd, Stephen McCole, and Kate Mara. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Cox, Kate Mara, (more)
- 2008
Betrayal proves more tragic than death in this tale of a newly widowed wife and mother who discovers that her late husband had been secretly married to another woman. Maureen Lessing (Academy Award-winner Brenda Fricker) always thought she knew her husband better than anyone else, but when he died she discovered that her happy marriage was nothing more than an illusion. Upon confronting the other woman, Maureen is devastated to learn that the couple also had a child together. Now, in the darkest depths of despair, Maureen will be confronted with the unthinkable. When the little boy from her husband's other marriage falls gravely ill, his only hope for survival lies with Maureen's ability to put aside her pain, and turn to her own children for help. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brenda Fricker
Sixty-five years after making his screen debut as a young stoker in co-directors Noël Coward and David Lean's World War II drama In Which We Serve, Richard Attenborough perfects the balance between epic story and intimate tale with this drama starring Shirley MacLaine and Neve Campbell as a mother and daughter who find a relic from the past sparking an incendiary series of events. The year is 1991, and as a small American town mourns the passing of beloved World War II veteran Chuck Harris, his wife Ethel (MacLaine) numbs herself with alcohol to the point where she completely neglects her grieving daughter Marie (Campbell). Later, after Marie receives a telephone call from a boy in Northern Ireland who claims to have recently discovered a ring belonging to Ethel, a mystery nearly five decades in the making comes slowly into focus as the story drifts back into Chuck's wartime past and the days when he and Ethel first formed their powerful bond. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer, (more)
This Irish comedy focuses on a woman named Ellie, who despite her family reputation as the wild free spirit, is left in charge of her sister Kate's retirement home when Kate is called home to care for their ailing mother. Ellie already has an aversion to responsibility, and she's definitely not prepared for the downright rude "hardcore" residents at Woodlands rest home. Strangely enough, however, Ellie and the people in her care begin to learn from each other, and her unexpected journey doesn't seem like such a terrible burden after all. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa Redgrave, Imelda Staunton, (more)
Andie MacDowell, Olivia Williams, and Stephen Rae star in this bittersweet tale of two grieving women connected by an accidental phone call. Connecticut mother Marilyn Vine (MacDowell) has always lived a charmed life, so when her adolescent son Dale suddenly dies while celebrating his fifteenth birthday the tragedy of her loss is almost too powerful to bear. 3000 miles away in Dublin, Ireland, Ria Lynch (Olivia Williams) finds her marriage to longtime husband Danny (Iain Glen) coming to an unexpected in when Danny reveals that he is divorcing her to set up home with his pregnant mistress Bernadette (Heike Makatsch). When fate delivers the telephone call that connects these two women, both at a crucial turning point in their lives, Marilyn and Ria both agree to a two-month house exchange that could provide them with the space and down time to move beyond the pain that threatens to consume them. As both women grow increasingly accustomed to their new environments, the kindness of strangers and opportunity for reflection provides them both with the courage to face their changed lives with a newfound sense of hope. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andie MacDowell, Olivia Williams, (more)
- 2004
Sopranos ingenue Jamie-Lynn DiScala stars as the infamous Hollywood madam in this made-for-cable bio-flick. Produced without the participation of Heidi Fleiss herself, Call Me traces the Pandering author's progression from pampered daughter of a liberal doctor (Saul Rubinek) to headline-grabbing proprietress of a ring of pricey Tinseltown escorts. Robert Davi and Brenda Fricker co-star as the boyfriend/pimp and the old-guard madam who offer Fleiss her entrée into the oldest profession. Corbin Bernsen plays a big-time movie producer who requires high kink from "Heidi's girls" to sate his jaded sexual appetites. The script, by Norman Snider, covers Fleiss' bust but trails off after her incarceration without covering her subsequent rehabilitation as a legitimate businesswoman. Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss premiered in April 2004 on the USA network. Snider previously worked on the script for another naughty TV flick, Rated X, which starred Charlie Sheen -- one of the few high-flying Fleiss customers to be named publicly during her early-'90s legal ordeals. Fleiss was previously the subject of Nick Broomfield's documentary Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie-Lynn DiScala, Robert Davi, (more)
A devastated father struggles to find answers after a bomb detonated in the peaceful Irish town of Omagh claims the life of his twenty-one year-old son in this topical docudrama from writer/producer Paul Greengrass and director Pete Travis. In 1988 a group who referred to themselves as the "Real IRA" set a bomb that took the lives of thirty-one people in the Northern Ireland town of Omaga. In the aftermath of the explosion, soft-spoken mechanic Michael Gallagher (Gerard McSorley) was forever changed by the loss of his twenty-one year-old son. Determined not to let the same grim fate befall his neighbors, Gallagher took it upon himself to become the official spokesperson for the victim's families, challenging the government's official stand on terrorism and providing a voice for the grief-stricken families of the innocent victims killed in the blast. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerard McSorley, Michele Forbes, (more)
Two guys facing more challenges than most people learn some valuable lessons about life and love in this comedy drama. Michael Connolly (Steven Robertson) is a young man in his early twenties who suffers from cerebral palsy; confined to a wheelchair, Michael's speech is unintelligible to all but a handful of people, and his situation has made him shy and withdrawn as he spends his days at a home for the disabled in Dublin. One day, a new arrival moves in at the home -- Rory O'Shea (James McAvoy), a lad about Michael's age who suffers from muscular dystrophy and can only use two fingers on one hand. This, however, hasn't stopped Rory from developing a sharp tongue, a quick wit, a taste for alcohol, and the courage to put the moves on any women who crosses his path. Rory can also understand Michael's attempts at speech, and Rory puts his outsized personality to work encouraging his new friend to become more outgoing and not to let life pass him by, despite his handicaps. In time, Rory and Michael are able to convince Eileen (Brenda Fricker), director of the home, that they should be allowed to get an apartment on their own, and the boys use their stipend to rent a flat and hire an assistant to help with the tasks they can't manage. Rory chooses Siobhan (Romola Garai) for the job, mainly because she's blonde and pretty, and she soon becomes attracted to him; unfortunately, Michael has fallen in love with her, and this leads to a major rift between him and Rory that drives them apart. Screened in the United Kingdom as Inside I'm Dancing and in the United States as Rory O'Shea Was Here, the film won the Audience Award at the 2004 Edinburgh Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James McAvoy, Steven Robertson, (more)
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joel Schumacher take on the real-life story of an assassinated Irish journalist in the dramatic thriller Veronica Guerin. Cate Blanchett appears as the title character, a relentless crime reporter for The Sunday Independent during the early '90s. Guerin's violent murder in 1996 led to a revision of Ireland's laws and the creation of the Criminal Assets Bureau. The movie picks up with her pursuit of the underground drug trade in Dublin, which she suspects is led by mobster Martin "The General" Cahill (Gerry O'Brien). When Cahill's gang is attacked, she suspects mobster Gerry "The Monk" Hutch (Alan Devine) is responsible. Not deterred by threats or gunshot wounds, she uses thug John Traynor (Ciarán Hinds) as an informer to help out her investigation of psychotic mobster John Gilligan (Gerard McSorley). Schumacher's protégé Colin Farell appears in a small role. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cate Blanchett, Gerard McSorley, (more)
U.K. filmmaker John Deery makes his writing and directing feature debut with the religious drama Conspiracy of Silence, dealing with the controversial topic of reforming the Catholic Church. At an Irish seminary school, student Daniel McLaughlin (Jonathan Forbes) is caught in a compromising position with fellow male student Noel (Owen McDonnell). He is subsequently kicked out of school and considers marrying his ex-girlfriend Sinead (Catherine Walker). Meanwhile, reporter David Foley (Jason Barry) investigates the suicide of HIV-positive priest Father Sweeney (Patrick Casey). Foley learns that Sweeney was romantically involved with former priest Matthew Francis (John Lynch), but Monsignor Thomas (Fintan McKeown) resorts to unjust tactics in order to cover up the story. Brenda Fricker also appears as Daniel's mother. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Forbes, Jason Barry, (more)
U.K. filmmaker Marc Evans directs the psychological thriller Trauma, produced for the Ministry of Fear division of Little Bird Productions. Colin Firth stars as Ben, a man who wakes up from a coma to discover his wife, Elisa (Naomie Harris), has been killed in a car crash. He tries to start a new life on his own, but he's haunted by images of his wife and strange happenings in his apartment. Having no family connections left, he reunites with old friend Tommy (Tommy Flanagan). He also makes friends with neighbor Charlotte (Mena Suvari), who takes him to psychic Petra (Brenda Fricker). Trauma premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colin Firth, Mena Suvari, (more)
- 2002
Based on the children's book by Philip Pullman, Laurie Lynd's I Was a Rat is a feature-length fable originally made as a three-part BBC miniseries. A reworking of a popular fairy tale, the story opens with a young abandoned pageboy (Calum Worthy) taken in by a childless couple: the aging cobbler Bob (Tom Conti) and domestic worker Joan (Brenda Fricker). Nicknamed Roger, the pageboy claims that he isn't human at all but a rat, which attracts the interest of the Daily Scourge newspaper, a mad scientist, and a carnival owner named Oliver Tapscrew (Don McKellar). The search for Roger's real home is accompanied by the story of Lady Aurelia (Katie Blake) and her prince (James Millard). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Calum Worthy, Tom Conti, (more)
Danish filmmaker Kristian Levring directs the Dogme 95-inspired period drama The Intended, co-written by leading lady Janet McTeer. Shot with digital video, the film takes place in the Malaysia jungle during the 1920s. Fortysomething British woman Sarah (McTeer) travels with her younger fiancé, Hamish Winslow (JJ Feild), to a small community near Borneo. Hamish has been hired to survey the land and map a road for a trading post run by a deeply dysfunctional family. The local ruler is tough matriarch Mrs. Jones (Brenda Fricker), who dominates her son William (Tony Maudsley) and nephew Norton (Philip Jackson). When a climate change causes them to become even more isolated, the family tension takes a dark turn. Also starring Olympia Dukakis. The Intended premiered at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janet McTeer, Olympia Dukakis, (more)
In 1930s Hamilton, Ontario, after her husband's corpse is discovered in the woods without its head or limbs, beautiful would-be socialite Evelyn Dick (Kathleen Robertson) is arrested by Canadian police for the murder. Her ever-changing jailhouse testimony leads Inspector Woods (Callum Keith Rennie) in various directions as the devoted detective tries to piece together a coherent chain of events and motives. But once Dick's manipulative mother (Brenda Fricker) is implicated in the scheme, Dick's story changes again, this time with twist that leads to a tragic denouement. Her future in grave danger -- her sentence could be death by hanging -- Dick hires attorney J.J. Robinette (Victor Garber) for one last attempt at freedom. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathleen Robertson
A deeply spiritual war bride attempts to adjust to the slower pace of rural life after relocating from lively London to her new husband's remote farm in Canada in a soulful tale of wartime relationships based on actual events and starring Anna Friel. Upon arrival at her new husband Charlie's picturesque farm, Lily (Friel) struggles to earn the respect of Charlie's stern, traditional-minded mother (Brenda Fricker) and deeply embittered sister (Moly Parker). Though relations are strained, the true test of what it takes to make a family emerges when Charlie returns from the war and attempts to find a peaceful common ground among the disagreeable women. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Anna Friel and Aden Young star in this romantic drama set against the backdrop of World War II, and following a wide-eyed London girl who falls for a Canadian soldier. The year is 1943, and as war wages across Europe, vivacious young Lily becomes smitten with rugged Canadian Charlie. The couple soon enters into a whirlwind romance, and after Lily becomes pregnant Charlie is forced to return to the front lines. Later, Lily and her daughter travel to Canada with Charlie, eager to start a new life on his family's peaceful, countryside ranch. Upon arriving in the Great White North, however, this optimistic war bride quickly discovers that her new husband's family "ranch" is actually a decrepit old farm house further removed from the big city than she could have ever imagined. And, though Charlie's embittered mother (Brenda Fricker) and sister (Molly Parker) prove particularly unwelcoming to the unassuming girl from London, Lily vows that her spirit will not be broken and her daughter will be raised in a happy home. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Friel, Brenda Fricker, (more)
This adaptation of Christina Bartolomeo's novel Cupid and Diana was produced for the award-winning anthology series Hallmark Hall of Fame. Cate DeAngelo (Mary Louise Parker) is the misfit youngest daughter in a dysfunctional Irish/Italian family; her mother recently died, and her father Dominic (Philip Bosco) has never had much use for her. Cate gets along only a bit better with her sisters, fussbudget Francesca (Bebe Neuwirth) and straight-laced Cynthia (Joanna Going). Cate runs a vintage clothing boutique that isn't doing much business, and her relationship with her boyfriend Philip (David Lansbury) is pleasant but passionless. When she meets Harry (Peter Gallagher), a rumpled but charming lawyer from New York, Cate thinks she may have finally found the man she's been looking for all her life -- except he seems like a less attractive package than Philip, and her family is sure she's making a mistake. Cupid & Cate first aired on May 7, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary-Louise Parker, Bebe Neuwirth, (more)
- 1999
Seriously injured in the auto accident that killed her husband, Clare Miller (Dana Delany) has a bizarre near-death experience while on the operating table. Confined to a wheelchair after the tragedy, Clare suddenly discovers that the dream may have been no dream at all: She now has the power to heal. First curing her own physical infirmities, Clare moves on to heal others who are suffering. Unfortunately, these "miracles" are limited: Clare seems totally unable to heal the emotional problems that have distanced her from her friends and loved ones, problems that only seem to be getting worse. First telecast by ABC on March 15, 1999, the made-for-TV Resurrection is a remake of the 1980 Ellen Burstyn film of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Delany, Brenda Fricker, (more)
- 1999
In this drama set in Ireland in the 1930s, Mark Doran (Matt Keeslar) is a young man who has grown up on a cattle farm and has fallen in love with lovely Annie Mullaney (Nancy St. Alban). However, Annie's father Fergus (Patrick Bergin) regards Mark as a callow youth and insists that he prove his manhood before Mark can ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. Mark sees an opportunity to prove himself and help his family at the same time when he becomes angry with the low prices offered by a local cattle broker; Mark decides that he will instead drive his herd 40 miles to the next available market, where's he's sure that they will bring in more money. Mark sets out to play cowboy with his rough-and-tumble Aunt Maeve (Brenda Fricker) in tow, but they soon run into interference from angry ranchers unhappy with Mark's stunt. Durango was produced for television as part of the acclaimed drama anthology series Hallmark Hall of Fame. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Keeslar, Patrick Bergin, (more)
- 1998
British director Jon Sanders helmed this British-Canadian period re-creation of a 19th-century Midwestern prairie town's bordello run by tough madam Annie Ryan (Brenda Fricker). Despite competition during the 1870s, Ryan manages to maintain the business with her staff of frontier women: Married to a drunk, mother Nettie (Kelly McGillis) supports her child by moonlighting as an abortionist. Age is fast catching up with Ada (Anna Mottram), who now draws fewer customers, while youthful Georgie (Lisa Jakub) unwittingly betrays Ada. After another woman in the house is shot, German dancer Katya (Meret Becker) is the stand-offish newcomer who steps in as a replacement. Katya uses her alleged psychic powers to contact the departed family of Irish lass Eileen (Bronagh Gallagher), destined for a tragic situation. Actress Mottram co-scripted with director Sanders. Filmed in Saskatchewan locations and shown at the 1998 Rotterdam Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brenda Fricker, Kelly McGillis, (more)
Featuring Saturday Night Live alumni and Austin Powers star Mike Myers in his first dramatic role, Pete's Meteor centers on ex-Junkie Pete (Myers), who is in the process of turning his life around when his two closest friends both die unexpectedly. Hoping to raise money for their children, he moves in with his late friends' kids and grandmother (Brenda Fricker). Before long, they witness what seems to be a miracle: A meteor lands in their backyard and the orphaned children believe it was sent from their parents to keep a wealthy scientist (Alfred Molina) from getting credit for it. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Myers
Kelly McGillis and Brenda Fricker star in this drama about a group of women who operate a bordello in the old West. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brenda Fricker, Kelly McGillis, (more)
- 1997
- R
Eoin McNamee based the screenplay for this drama on his own novel, which was itself based on real-life Protestant paramilitaries known as "The Shankill Butchers," who used the cover of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland to mask their often homicidal crimes. Set in Northern Ireland of 1975, the story opens with a killing by young psycho Victor Kelly (Stuart Townsend) and his gang, known as the Resurrection Men. The city lives in fear, and TV coverage perks the interest of journalist Ryan (James Nesbitt) and his associate Coppinger (James Ellis). Older hood McLure (Sean McGinley) hires Victor and his gang to do some dirty work, but local cop Herbie (Derek Thompson) enters the picture to put pressure on gang member Hascksaw (B.J. Hogg). As Victor's wildness escalates, Ryan uses words to weave a media myth around Victor's behavior. Meanwhile, McLure makes plans to destroy Victor. The Irish settings for this film actually were shot in Manchester, Warringon, and Liverpool. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stuart Townsend, Geraldine O'Rawe, (more)
- 1997
- PG13
A criminal genius who has carefully planned the ultimate score runs across an unexpected obstacle -- a 16-year-old computer hacker -- in this youth-oriented action-adventure story. Ozzie Paxton (Vincent Kartheiser) is a teenager with a knack for causing trouble; he's been expelled from the Shady Glen School, an exclusive private academy, for pulling one too many pranks on the faculty. Besides, he prefers to stay home with his computer, where for fun and profit he hacks into the systems of computer game designers, downloads new games before they can go on the market, and burns bootleg CD-ROMs that he can sell to his friends. One day, Ozzie's younger sister Melissa (Katie Stuart) talks him into giving her a lift to Shady Glen, where she still attends; looking for a little revenge, he sneaks into the school and intends to have a little fun with their computer system. As it turns out, Ozzie runs afoul of the school's new security chief, former British Secret Service agent Rafe Bentley (Patrick Stewart), who was hired by Principal Maloney (Brenda Fricker) after Ozzie's most recent bit of computer terrorism. But Bentley is not the friend of the law that he seems to be; several of the wealthiest families in America send their children to Shady Glen, and Bentley has a scheme to kidnap ten of the school's richest children and hold them for a ransom of $650 million. Ozzie is caught in the middle of Bentley's kidnapping plot and must now use his computer skills in order to save the children and put Bentley behind bars. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Stewart, Vincent Kartheiser, (more)
