Marion O'Dwyer Movies
A South Central, LA con-artist finds that his rhyming skills can pay off in the least likely of venues after winning a poetry contest staged by a financially strapped Irish town in this fish out of water comedy starring Eddie Griffin and Mo'Nique. Ballywood, Ireland is a town with a cash flow problem; but the citizens aren't about to go down without a fight. With the banks set to foreclose and the future looking grim, the citizens of Ballywood decide to save their town by staging a poetry contest and using the entry fees to keep the moneymen at bay. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, hustler Jimmie (Griffin) is having a hard time shaking off hungry bill collectors and a jilted lover with a mind for marriage. His options dwindling and his future looking increasingly grim, Jimmy determines to use his gift for gab to take home the top prize at the Ballywood poetry contest and leave both the collectors and his clingy girlfriend at a loss for words. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Griffin, Anna Friel, (more)
Actress Anjelica Huston directed and stars in this drama based on Brendan O'Carroll's novel The Mammy. Set in Dublin in 1967, Agnes Browne (Anjelica Huston) is the mother of seven children, barely making ends meet when her husband dies, leaving her to figure out not only how to support the family, but also how to pay for a funeral. To cover the burial expenses, Agnes resorts to borrowing money from a loan shark (Ray Winstone) who isn't interested in special deals for widows or orphans. Agnes learns to scrape up a living selling fruit and vegetables, and makes sure her children get the best education possible, but self-sacrificing Agnes would like one small luxury for herself: Tom Jones will be playing a concert in town soon, and she'd like nothing more than to hear the man sing "It's Not Unusual" live and in person. A French baker with eyes for Agnes (Arno Chevrier) joins forces with her children to see that she gets her wish. Agnes Browne boasts an accurate portrayal of Ireland in the late 1960s, thanks in part to the fact that Huston spent a great deal of time there as a child; the film was shown as part of the Directors Fortnight series at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anjelica Huston, Marion O'Dwyer, (more)
