Waking Ned

"Jackie" (Ian Bannen) has an ingenious way of getting his wife "Annie" (Fionnula Flanagan) to bring his ice cream to his armchair - he feigns a lottery win! That sets the tone for the rest of this light-hearted comedy as he discovers that one of their number has actually won over £6 millions. Now it's a tiny village, so together with his pal "Michael" (David Kelly) the three of them begin a process of elimination to discover the real winner. Nobody seems to be splashing the cash, though! The puzzle is finally solved when they clock that "Ned" hasn't been seen for a while. A trip to his house delivers sad news but an opportunity - if only they can convince the lottery man... This reminded me a little of the original "Whisky Galore" (1949) in that it presents a community with a chance to engage in some community mischief which is, of course, entirely fraudulent - but leaves you hoping that they get away with their plan. The pacing is almost perfect, Bannen and Kelly gel well together and there are a few daft sub-plots to help keep the film moving along nicely. I maybe wouldn't use a phone box there anytime soon, though!