As much as I liked Love Actually, certain parts of the film didn’t ring true. Everyone lived in houses that were just a little too large; Hugh Grant’s choreography to that Pointer Sisters song was a little too polished; and all the plot lines fit together just a little too well. Like most romantic comedies, it turned out to be, in a word, cheesy.

Writer Mark O’Rowe and director John Crowley start out their big screen careers with a bang, as Intermission covers a broad spectrum of genres. It’s funny, touching, disturbing, sad, heart-warming, and nearly impossible to categorize. Intermission is a low-budget, Irish version of Love Actually with well-rounded characters, fewer clichés, more swearing, and a bit of gratuitous violence thrown in for good measure.

For me, the Irish accent is like Prozac, so I knew I’d love listening to the dialog, if nothing else. There’s just something about it that makes me really happy. Fellow brogue lovers will be pleased to learn that the entire cast (except Shirley Henderson and Kelly Macdonald, who are Scottish) is Irish. It brought a smile to my face every time they called something "gorgeous" or "bollocks".

Many people will see Intermission for Colin Farrell, but the Irish bad boy’s part of the film is actually the weakest. The film begins with Lehiff (Farrell) chatting up a lovely, young cashier. He showers her with compliments and tells her that he is looking to settle down. When she appears to be adequately smitten, Farrell... well, let’s just say he turns out to not be so nice, after all... My friends said they were shocked by this, but I could tell right away that Lehiff was an unsavory character. O’Rowe gives Lehiff a bizarre obsession with kitchen gadgets (especially woks), but this quirk doesn’t do enough to soften up the character. Lehiff has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Oscar (David Wilmot), on the other hand, has no luck with the ladies even though he is incredibly sweet. Despite the fact that I thought he could cheer himself up by listening to his own accent, Oscar is deeply depressed and “can’t even wank.”

At the center of the film is Oscar’s best friend John (the breathtaking Cillian Murphy), who has broken up with his girlfriend Deirdre (Macdonald) to “test” their relationship. John thinks this break will be an “intermission,” but, to his dismay, Deirdre has taken up with Sam (Michael McElhatton), who is mature and financially stable unlike John, who works in a supermarket and whose staple food is the bottles of brown sauce he steals from work. Deirdre complains that John puts the sauce in everything, including his tea. However, Sam, a balding bank manager, just happens to be married.

Deirdre’s sister Sally (Henderson) has suffered a trauma at the hands of a former boyfriend and has moved back home and “let herself go,” neglecting to bleach or wax her mustache.

John and Oscar are a fantastic pair and are involved in some hilarious scenes in the supermarket with their authoritarian boss who sprinkles his pep talks with Americanisms like “taking care of business, as they say in the states.”

Detective Jerry Lynch (Colm Meaney) is a salt of the earth kind of guy who boxes with no gloves and lives to keep the streets safe. Through Jerry, O’Rowe shows us how even the most no-nonsense people can get caught up in the lure of fame. When a TV producer approaches Jerry to appear on a documentary television show, Jerry is thrilled. A TV crew follows Jerry around on his beat, and the detective takes time-outs from crime-fighting to pose for the camera.

While I loved most of the characters in the film, bus driver Mick (Brian F. O’Byrne) was a bit overdone and too slapstick for my taste. Poor Mick has worse luck than Ben Stiller and is tormented by a horrible, rock-throwing boy. His anguish is supposed to be funny at times, but I found the physical humor focused on injuries disturbing instead.

Apart from Mick and Lehiff, most of the characters are adorable and complex, and the various aspects of the plot fit together nicely but without feeling forced. O’Rowe seems to have a real knack for writing dialog, and just when you think the scene is going to veer into sappy territory, he throws in a twist to keep things fresh.

If you’re looking for a festive way to celebrate Good Friday tonight, have some Guinness and leek and potato soup, and see Intermission.

Sláinte!

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Fun Facts: The version of “I Fought the Law” that plays during the credits is performed by Colin Farrell.

Look for a cameo by In America's adorable star Emma Bolger.


Recommended: Yes