Rating: 
Summary: Life and Love's Frustrations in the Irish Style.
Review: "Intermission" is a collection of intertwined story lines set in Dublin, Ireland, all somehow connected to the break-up, several weeks before, of two characters, Deirdre (Kelly MacDonald) and John (Cillian Murphy). Deirdre has found a new man, Sam (Michael McElhatton). John is regretting leaving her. John's best friend, Oscar (David Wilmot) is desperately seeking companionship, Deirdre's sister Sally (Shirley Henderson) is avoiding it. Sam's wife is furious. And an egotistical police officer, Jerry Lynch (Colm Meaney), is pursuing career criminal Lehiff (Colin Farrell) and personal fame.
"Intermission"'s cast is a Who's Who of talented young Irish thespians, with a few Brits thrown in the mix. Quirky but somehow true-to-life Irish films about friends and family have somehow become a genre unto themselves. This is one of those. There's nothing surprising about "Intermission", but it does take enough unpredictable turns to keep it interesting. True to the genre, the characters aren't smart or even especially interesting on the face of it. But the dialogue is engaging. The situations are funny. These people's anxieties, neuroses, and disappointments ring true. Add a charismatic young cast, and you have a pretty entertaining movie.
The DVD: Bonus features include 2 deleted scenes and a theatrical trailer. The deleted scenes are essentially redundant and not worth your time. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant if not particularly original.
Review: "Intermission" is very reminiscent of other modern offbeat films from Britain and Ireland is the past few (nearly ten since Trainspotting? Already?!) years, the kind of films that seem all vaguely "Guy Ritchie-ish" except "Intermission" is more based around love than crime and violence.
The structure is particularly reminiscent of "Go" (1999), the American film, in which a number of storylines revolving around offbeat, quirky characters all come together in the end. It may already sound like I'm denigrating the film, but I'm not. I'm giving it to you straight - this film's originality is not its strong suit. But most of you I imagine are like me, already knew that and want to see it anyway.
Well, this film delivered pretty much all I expected and I liked it. I was looking for another one of those wonderful British/Irish films where everyone talks in sexy, outlandish accents and working class stiffs get themselves into impossible jams and extricate themselves and find their way through life in the most improbable of ways. Among the storylines - two supermarket stock boys, one of which can't believe his ex-girlfriend who he is still loves is dating a man 20 years her senior, the second a man who is incapable of having an orgasm of late; the ex-girlfriend and her family, with her sister who was screwed over and left jaded by a boyfriend who hurt in her in a particular vicious and unpleasant way, rebelling against men by growing a moustache; a bedraggled bus driver; a small-time thief who has qualms about punching out pretty girls and manipulating his would-be friends; a tough-talking cop who thinks he's the world's biggest badass; and etc. all revolving around a down-on-its-luck Dublin suburb.
This movie doesn't have a huge "wow" factor, but I liked it quite a bit and it delivered all it promised. If you like films like "Shallow Grave," the works of Guy Ritchie or Irvine Welsh, I can't you see not liking this movie. I think the photogenic, very attractive acting trio of Kelly MacDonald (very cute), Colin Farrell (patented Irish bad-boy persona in full force), and Cillian Murphy (those eyes making girls and not a few guys swoon) put on the most memorable and best performances of all, but the whole, well-known Irish cast does a fine job. 4 well deserved stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but don't believe the hype.
Review: As I played the DVD, the menu greeted me and the music immediately caught my attention. Somebody is singing The Clash's "I Fought The Law" in a heavy Irish accent. I thought it was Shane McGowan doing a solo effort after the Pogues, but after I finished the movie, I was shocked when I learned it was Colin Farrell himself doing the warbling. This is just one of the pleasant surprises watching InterMission on DVD. But there are also a lot of unfulfilled potentials.
Likened to "cool" movies like Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Go, InterMission is definitely engaging with earnest performances by different actors led by known names (Farrell, Colin Meaney), upcoming ones (Cillian Murphy - Scarecrow in Batman Begins, and Kelly McDonald) and the other stars of the Irish film industry (it looks like they're all here). However, the rambling structure (51 characters! Reminiscent of Richard Linklater's Slackers) meanders and is as not as tight as the aforementioned movies. In the end, you'll feel some characters and events are not relevant and the events that transpired are not entirely caused by Murphy and MacDonald's characters' break-up as stated in the back cover synopsis. Sure, everybody is connected in InterMission but some are just there and quite irrelevant. Ultimately, it feels like one big movie about Friendster.
InterMission is a good, fun movie. Don't get me wrong. It has a good soundtrack and interesting characters. It's just not as breakthrough nor fresh (unlike Memento or the similar Go) as the marketers would want us to believe.
Also, this is one movie that's better off seen in DVD. Since you can turn on the subtitles to fully understand the lines delivered in thick Irish accents.
Rating: 
Summary: Green Power
Review: Colin Farrell (Lehiff) sheds the outward patina of glamour and the unnatural adoption of an American accent, in this edgy dramedy, directed by John Crowley with an eager and roving eye: aimed at capturing the stuff that makes us human and susceptible to folly.
In fact, except for about 2 minutes in "Phone Booth," Farrell has never been more human, likable and sexy since his debut in "Tigerland."
But "Intermission" is an ensemble piece peopled with actors (particularly Shirley Henderson) who continually seem about to fall yet somehow always avoid the big cesspool of doom and destruction. And this is what gives "Intermission" its propulsion and interest: we like these people and care about what they care about and more importantly, we want them to be happy. In tone this film reminds me very much of the much neglected, "Happy Accidents" another absurd comedy-drama directed by Brad Anderson.
Mark Rowe has written a script of such fierce disrespect towards everything and John Crowley directs with his tongue so resolutely and firmly planted in his cheek that "Intermission" turns out to be one of the most refreshingly astringent and invigorating movies...ever.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Amazing
Review: I saw this film while living in Ireland, and it blew me away. Colin Farrell's performance is great, none of this pretty boy stuff, using his real accent and playing a really believable character from Dublin. The seperate story lines weave so effortlessly together. I think that some of the humor is more understandable if you have knowledge of Irish culture, but anyone can really get a kick out of this great film. I'm so glad it's out on DVD now! I've been waiting too long. Also, Shirley Henderson is amazing in this role, she is such a versatile actress.
By the way, some of the lads tried the brown sauce in tea, and it didn't turn out so good. I don't recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: The Irish Have Done It Again
Review: I was getting really tired of Colin Farrel's attempts at mainstream movie-making. The worst thing that he ever did for his acting was to head to the States. I had just about lost hope in him when I saw Intermission. Now I know that he's a good actor, he just doesn't show it.
In this film, Farrel is back to being an Irishman and he's joined by a delightful cast of other up-and-coming actors/actresses from the United Kingdom. They are all wonderful, especially Cillian Murphy. He's really hot so you can't go wrong with him.
Rating:
Summary: 11 real-life, intertwined stories
Review: I've read elsewhere about people complaining of Intermission's "juvenile humor" and, yeah, there's certainly a fair bit of that. But that's overcome by the realness with which writer Mark O'Rowe and Director John Crowley have imbued these 11 intertwined stories that have been crashed together for a very enjoyable ride.Performances of note: Kelly Macdonald - I just finished being enchanted by her in the six-part BBC mini 'State of Play'. Adorable and talented (when I'm not perplexed by that Glaswegian accent). Colin Ferrell - Turns on a dime in the film's opening shot; it's a stunner and it sets the pace for the entire movie. His riff on 'brown sauce in coffee' (see the movie to understand!) had me laughing for days (not an exaggeration) Colm Meaney - Yet another film he walks away with. His self-conscious portrayal of street detective Jerry Lynch is a perfect mix of braggadocio, insecurity and (unknowing) humor. The little scene where 'Lynch' overturns a table in anger - but checks to see who's watching first - is a wonderful little touch by Meaney. Cillian Murphy - Mesmerizing eyes. And the spoke that turns at least three of these stories. ...and many, many others (Shirley Henderson, for example, deserves some kudos too for a *very* unglamorous role). Make sure you stick around for the credits to hear Colin Ferrell's raucous rendition of "I Fought the Law."
Rating:
Summary: A Whirling Dervish of a Film Packed to the Hilt with Energy
Review: INTERMISSION is an unrelenting roller coaster ride of a movie that satisfies on every level. This is one of the finer Irish films made, due in equal parts to a mind-boggling script, knife-edge directing, and a cast of superb actors who manage to keep us on track while the speed of the movie keeps promising to jump track.
Dublin suburb, many characters at crossroads of filial and relationship convictions, and a bus wreck all intertwine showing how happenstance can completely change lives. John (the mesmerizing Cillian Murphy) is leaving Deirdre (Kelly MacDonald) to try the outside world of women, afraid of the commitment of a relationship. John works at a market as a shelf stocker with clueless would-be womanizer Oscar (David Wilmot) and both crave to be out form under the thumb of the pestering owner. Deirdre is crushed by John's leaving, gets consolation from her mother, but little empathy from sister Sally (Shirley Henderson) who is so against men that she is allowing her upper lip hair to be seen as a moustache! Mother and Sally witness and save a bus accident caused by a child throwing a stone into the windshield. The angry driver is yet another discontent young man who subsequently falls in with John and Oscar as co-criminals under the direction of small time crusty thief Lehiff (another feather in Colin Farrell's acting hat!). How the multitude of little storylines intertwine (Oscar courts Sally, John finds Deirdre's new affair with married Sam (Michael McElhatton) devastating, detective Jerry Lynch (Colm Meaney) chases the group of masked young criminals yet is more interested in a live video of his career than the direction of his job, etc etc etc) is more fascinating than an enthralling jigsaw puzzle.
This film fizzes and sparkles with excitement and super performances. But be aware: the Irish accents are basically so thick that much of the film is lost to US ears with out some help, so turn on the English subtitles for enhanced enjoyment.
And that's not 'bloggers', just a suggestion to keep pace with the story without straining to understand the dialogue. An excellent caper and a must see for fans of Colin Farrell and Cillian Murphy!
Rating:
Summary: Good Until the End
Review: Intermission juggles about fifteen relevant characters and scenarios during the course of the movie, and then attempts to tie them together at the end. The humor is very good (revenge on a nasty boss, Colin Farrell's reaction to the "brown sauce," etc.), the acting is very good (Farrell, Colm Meany, Cillian Murphy, and the ex-girlfriend), and even the pacing and creativity is very good. If this movie had ended with the same confidence and orginality that it began with, we'd have an excellent film. However, the finale is so cliche and unbelievable that I can't even bring myself to recommend the film. Two major plotlines, one with Colin Farrell, a cop, and a documentary film maker, and another with Cillian Murphy and his ex-girlfriend, end so horribly cliche that my friend and I turned the film off in disgust, laughing at the idiocy and swearing at the near-destruction of an excellent film. Let's put it this way...the movie sets itself up to be a realistic yet unpredictable tale of life in Dublin, and following that logic, certain people in the movie should die, certain people should live, and certain people should want nothing to do with others. The movie washes it all away with a surpringly cliche Hollywood ending that ties strings together that never deserved to be tied. There were parts in the conclusion that the audience members were clearly intended to rejoice over, but they were so trite that even the actors couldn't completely pull it off. Rent this movie for the first three quarters, but prepare to be dissapointed at the end if you're an intelligent film goer. If the stuff mentioned above doesn't bother you, and you enjoy things neatly tied up, then you certainly can't go wrong with this flick, and feel free to add one or two stars to my original rating.
Rating:
Summary: Mixing characters and plot stories create a great whole
Review: It was certainly an ambitious plan to try and somehow thread together the lives of 54 different characters in eleven storylines (according to the rubric on the DVD, anyway!), irrespective of however fleetingly or intimately any particular set of characters interacted. John Crowley directed and Mark O'Rowe wrote the screenplay for this movie, set in Dublin, Ireland, consisting of entirely homegrown actors on their home turf. It was perhaps no accident that Colin Farrell, now established as a star in Hollywood through his performances in movies such as "Phone Booth", is seen right at the beginning.
Like many of the characters seen in the movie, Lehiff (Farrell) has a talent for trouble with the law, hence he sings the song, "I Fought the Law" (written by Sonny Curtis), at the end of the movie (much to moviegoers' surprise, I imagine). His character is therefore incomplete without doing something criminal, and, indeed, many, if not all, of the characters in the movie seem totally dysfunctional and as incomplete as he is, albeit in their differing ways.
Lehiff's nemesis, Garda (police) detective Jerry Lynch (Colm Meaney of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" fame), feels incomplete without showing himself off as a man who constantly fights the "scumbags" on Dublin's streets, and enlists the help of Ben Campion (Tomas O'Suilleabhain), an ambitious film-maker and the bane of his "go-softer" boss who considers Lynch too nasty a subject to be shown on a mainstream "docusoap" series on Irish terrestrial TV.
Ben is told to focus his attention on Sally (Shirley Henderson) who helped passengers after their double-decker bus spectacularly crashes on its side. Sally herself feels incomplete because of her "Ronnie" (moustache for non-Irish people!) and bitter because of her sister Deirdre (Kelly Macdonald) flaunting her new boyfriend, Sam (Michael McElhatton), a bank manager who has left his wife of 14 years, Noeleen (Deirdre O'Kane), who, feeling totally shocked, questions her own self-worth as a woman and a wife.
Deirdre had been the girlfriend of John (Cillian Murphy), whose arch-nemesis is the overbearing supermarket manager Mr. Henderson (Owen Roe), who feels incomplete without feeling good about lording it over his "minions". John feels utterly devastated and incomplete without Deirdre and will do anything to win her back, even though he initially turns to Noeleen, of all people, whom he meets at a singles' club for the middle-aged, owing to his need for "companionship" - despite his earlier hypocritical criticism of his ex-girlfriend to her face for doing much the same thing with Sam, upon whom he turns his hatred in a heated phone conversation when he wants to speak to her.
He then gets himself involved in an absurd plan: kidnap Sam, force him to go to his bank, and get ransom money. This plan involves Mick (Brian F. O'Byrne), the man who had driven the bus which crashed, and Lehiff. As might be expected, things go awry when Sam, who has the money, gets assaulted by an enraged Noeleen on the street, so Mick and John flee the scene without their money.
Mick feels incomplete without gaining his revenge on the boy, Philip (Taylor Molloy), who had lobbed the stone into the windshield, causing him to serve and crash the bus he was driving (and for which he got fired). However, again things do not go quite his way, and he ends up learning a bitter lesson. As for Lehiff, Lynch, who feels incomplete without nailing him, corners him in an open field, and the scene is set for a confrontation that ends in a way nobody expects.
One could say that O'Rowe and Crowley may have been a little over-ambitious in trying to make out as if all the people in the film just had to have some interaction with at least one or two other people - it would be interesting to draw a "spider-gram" on the back of an envelope in an effort to find out how everyone fits in with everybody else.
Nevertheless, O'Rowe and Crowley are largely successful in producing an enjoyable black comedy, even if one could question the use of so many f-words and c-words (as Lynch likes to do prolifically) in a movie from a country otherwise not seen very often in movies (MGM distributed this one to a wider audience). Equally, one may be a little concerned at the violence (and blood) seen in the movie, as Lehiff shows a shop assistant (at the start of the movie) and Deirdre (albeit while he is masked as he keeps her in the house during the kidnap/robbery operation) what he is prepared to do to people. Yet he is a hardened criminal and the exclusion of his brutal methods would be tantamount to sugarcoating the idea that crime should be "blood-less". (People can, after all, end up shedding more blood when accidentally falling off their bicycles.)
Describing the film would not be difficult with words like "funny", "fresh", "fabulous", "fantastic" and "fascinating". Humor is an element that runs right throughout the movie as the characters have to sort out their otherwise incomplete lives as they have to deal with the harsh realities of being in love, out of love, in a job that one hates, suddenly out of a job, sticking a finger up at authority, taking the law into one's own hands, each wanting a better deal in life than he or she can get at present. In all, it is a very entertaining movie about ordinary people leading ordinary lives with some extraordinary plot twists and turns.
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