Another Irish film this week, but this time is a comedy and one with a distinctively Australian connection.
THREE of the key creative team on "The Matchmaker" are Australians and all three have worked together before.
The director, Mark Joffe, is perhaps best known for his comedies "Cosi" (1995) and "Spotswood" (1991).
The cinematographer, Ellery Ryan, worked with Joffe on Cosi and won an AFI Award for his work on Michael Rhymer's "Angel Baby".
The third is the screenwriter, Louis Nowra, a well known Sydney playwright and novelist, who also worked on "Cosi".
"The Matchmaker" is a classic romantic comedy in which the potential lovers spend most of the film verbally sparring with each other.
Marcy Tizard (Janeane Garofalo - last seen as Abby in "The Truth About Cats and Dogs") is a rather jaded yet totally dedicated political aide who has no time for anything else but work. The Massachusetts senator for whom she works is slipping behind in the polls and needs to win the Irish vote. With a name like McGlory it makes sense to send Marcy in search of his Irish relatives in the hope of securing a good photo opportunity, maybe even a connection to the Kennedy clan.
Marcy lands in the small Irish village of Ballinagra and finds herself not only surrounded by a colourful array of quirky characters who prove to be smarter than she first anticipates, but also in the midst of the annual Matchmaking Festival. Everyone but she is keen to find her a match. Marcy just wants to get her job done and escape back to Boston.
Her path crosses that of lovable larrikin Sean (David O'Hara who played the rampaging Irishman in Mel Gibson's "Braveheart"); the souvenir shop owner, who doubles as the local genealogist and has a different sense of time from Marcy; and Dermot and Millie, two rival matchmakers who set up in competition with each other to marry Marcy off.
"The Matchmaker" is a rollicking yarn, full of comedy and classic farce, which manages to avoid stereotypes. True to the conventions of romantic comedy all comes out right in the end. The American upstarts are given their comeuppance and the lovers eventually find each other, but there are many twists and turns and some wonderful moments of pure farce along the way.
The performances are endearing and the Irish scenery stunning - the film was made mainly on the west coast of Ireland around Galway Bay.
