This is My Father

Rating:
Summary: Very good but bites off more than it can chew.
Review: "This is my Father" is a moving film that is slighly undone by its disjointed structure. Essentially, it's three stories, but only one is told with any depth.

Story #1 revolves around James Caan's character, "Kieran Johnson." Johnson is a middle-aged, inner-city high school teacher. A widower, who lives with his half-sister, her son, and stroke crippled mother, Johnson is unhappy with how his life has turned out. He is also a man who is unsure of his past with very limited info about his father. After finding an old picture of his young mother with a strange man, Kieran decides to seek some fulfillment by trying discover if the man in the photo is his father. Taking along his nephew, he travels to his mother's old home village in Ireland. There he meets an old tinker woman who recalls the story of his mother and the man in the photo.

Story #2 revolves around Johnson's teenaged nephew, "Jack." Jack is having problems in school and with his mother. His mother, exasperated by her inability to handle him, asks her half-brother to take him along on his trip to Ireland. In Ireland, Jack meets up with two flirty Irish girls, Nuala and Maria, and starts getting interested in one of them.

Story #3 is what the tinker woman relates to Johnson. It's about the relationship between a lonely, shy, approaching middle-age farmer, Kieran O'Day (Aidan Quinn) and a lovely, high-spirited, young woman, Fiona Flynn (Moya Farrelly), who will become Johnson's mother. Set in the late 30's, a time in which the Catholic Church held great power over the Irish people and everyone was expected to abide to a puritanical code of strict moral and social decorum, story #3 revolves around the couple trying to hold onto their happiness together, while at the same time trying to appease the forces that want to pull them apart.

Anyone of the above three plots could have been used for a movie on its own, but "This is my Father" tries to squeeze all three into a single movie. It doesn't work. Caan's story is too thinly developed. And Jack's story could have been completely jettisoned without any negative consequences. It's practically incoherent and one gets the suspicion that major parts of it were edited from the final cut.

However, the story revolving around Quinn and Farrelly is outstanding. A truly beautiful and moving work of cinema. Both actors are terrific. Although it does take some suspension of disbelief to buy that handsome Aidan Quinn's character could still be a virgin in his late 30's. (Historically, though, Irishmen were known for marrying late in life.) Moya Farrelly is absolutely charming in her debut- the ideal spirited Irish girl. The romantic relationship between these two characters is very believable. Also believable are the heartbreak and sorrow caused by that relationship. Be warned: "This is my Father" is NOT an updated version of "The Quiet Man" and if you're the sentimental type then have some tissues ready. There are some weak points in this segment, such as the silly cameos by John Cusack and Stephen Rea and the stereotypical portrait of Catholic priests as mean-spirited tyrants, but overall this part just blows away the rest of the movie and you'll feel annoyed whenever it shifts back to the other stories.

Rating:
Summary: The BEST Movie EVER
Review: "This is my Father" is one of the most romantic and touching movies that I have ever seen. It is beautifully acted by Aidan Quinn, undoubtedly, one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood and Moya Farrelly, a newcomer. I was born in Ireland, Galway to be exact so I may be a little biased, but this movie brought me to tears. I felt as though I was watching two people whom I had known for years struggling to be together. Aidan Quinn's performance as an Irish 'Forrest Gump' was fantastic. He fulfilled the characteristics of a man that every woman, at least I and 'Fiona' dream of falling in love with. I also loved the portrayal of the Catholic way of thinking, which in the 1930's was the only way of thinking. This was without a doubt, the best movie of the century. Go and watch it!

Rating:
Summary: The Best Performance From aidan Quinn.
Review: Aidan Quinn gives one of his best performances in this film. Well-Written, Well Direct it, Great Cinematography and Great Story to the film.

Aidan Quinn`s Brother direct it the film and his another brother Declan Quinn did the Cinematography.

Rating:
Summary: Why no oscars?
Review: Aidan Quinn's performance in this movie was quite simply a tour de force. Why was he not even nominated for an oscar for best actor?

Rating:
Summary: Same old Irish drivel
Review: I am sick to death of this kind of Irish film where the same old actors are wheeled out in their tweed jackets and flat-caps to portray yet another load of down-trodden Irish characters with something to moan and whinge about. Films about modern Ireland never ever seem to be made and I get the feeling that the world must think that Ireland is stuck in the 1940s as thats all you ever see in these films.

The story is the usual rubbish about forbidden love and it's been done a thousand times before. I do however disagree with the comment by a reviewer which claims that this film is 'anti-catholic' - it is not - this is unfortunatly how Ireland was at that time - ruled by the iron fist of the church. But this need by Irish film directors to constantly hark back to this time period is beyond me. Have they no other ideas they can turn into a film?

Utter rubbish

Rating:
Summary: A real gem.
Review: I can't add much to the rave reviews already posted. It's a beautiful, heartbreaking film with great performances by everyone involved. I'd definitely give it a 'buy' rating. If you like intelligent, well made movies you owe it to yourself to get this one.

The DVD transfer is very sharp and the sound is also good. Good job all the way around on this one.

Rating:
Summary: An Irish Heart-Warming Classic
Review: I first saw "This Is My Father" on a cable channel a few months ago. I was flipping through and I wouldnt have even watched had I not seen Cusack in the opening credits. I always enjoy John Cusack's movies and I surely have a weakness for Joan, but it turns out John didnt have a very big part in the movie. I expected after seeing his name that it would be some kind of romantic comedy...but it was deeper than that. The story begins in the present day with a high school teacher (James Caan), who is troubled by many things, mostly the failing health of his mother who lies in a deep depression. The one thing he knows is that it has something to do with his father, whom he'd never met and knew almost nothing about. He takes his teenage son on a trip to Ireland to uncover the mystery that haunts both him and his mother. The rest of the movie is a visual flashback of an elderly Irish woman, who tells the sad and very moving story of the life and death of his father. The story details what a harsh world existed in Ireland outside the fighting, and the struggle of a young man who suddenly finds every head turned away but that of the girl he loves. Aidan Quinn is touching as a shy field-worker who is shamed when he pursues a relationship with a younger girl, a girl who later gives birth to their son (James Caan). Caan finds that his father's was life difficult, and ended in tragedy. As far as buying this movie...I cant really give an answer. In all honesty I never bought it because it's such a sad movie to sit through, though brilliantly done...you'll be surprised who can be weakened by a film like this. For excellent acting and an original and effective story, I cant give this movie any less than 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Where are the Awards?
Review: I must confess I have not yet bought the video, but I have now seen this movie THREE times. I saw it in Killarney when I visited Ireland. I came home ranting and raving about how wonderful this movie was, and I recommended all my friends and relatives see it. Since it had not opened in the USA yet, no one had heard of it, and they decided I left my brain in Ireland.

Well, it ran for two weeks here in Madison, Wisconsin, and again, I went and wept at the end of the movie. Considering my friends tell me that I haven't a sentimental bone in my body, this is quite a compliment.

Then, I rented it when I visited my parents. My father very much enjoyed it, too.

So, why did I love this movie?

First, Moya Farrelly. What a find! I read that this was her first movie where she played a major role. I am stunned. She turned what could have been a "Lolita" into a character that you deeply, passionately cared about. She was alternately teenager/mature woman, mischievous/serious, naive about love/understanding it completely. All of it believably. When she is condemned at the end by Kieran's "parents," my dad asked me why. It became even more heart-breaking to him that she was condemned for something that wasn't her fault.

Second, the scenery. Wow! I had never been to Ireland before, and so much of the movie was similar to what I was seeing outside as I traveled to Killarney.

Third, Aidan Quinn. He really nuanced the role. I firmly believe he is the most underrated actor in Hollywood. Michael Collins, Avalon, and Benny and Joon. I really wonder when he will finally get the attention he so richly deserves.

All of this leads to my obvious question: Why isn't this movie getting Oscar buzz? The acting was excellent; Oscars love independent films; three brothers working together on a dream project. It's a classic love story, both on and off-screen.

I described the movie as Wuthering Heights Meets Fried Green Tomatoes since the scenery is so beautiful and the story is told through flashbacks. I'd recommend purchase.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best films I have ever seen
Review: I rarely cry at movies, but when I saw "This Is My Father" in the theaters, by the end I was in tears. It is more than a movie, it is truly an experience. A wonderfully acted & directed movie. As an adimant Aidan Quinn fan, I guess I am a little biased, but this is a must-see even for those who aren't. The end of the movie was probably the most emotional for me, and I often find myself stopping the tape before it gets to that part. A beautiful star-crossed love story with an ending that will truly leave you breathless. "This Is My Father" is absolutely one of the best films I have ever seen, and you will most assuredly remember watching it.

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing story, moving drama. Have a tissue handy.
Review: I saw this film on a transatlantic flight and in spite of the distractions, poor lighting, video and sound I became total absorbed by the tale of this American trying to find his father in Ireland. A flashback love story is related by an old woman who knew everything. It gets heavier and deeper and sadder. Anyone who has lost a parent will relate to this tale.