This familiar pattern of headstrong girl and passions brimming beneath the surface is well directed by first time Scottish helmer Gillies MacKinnon, though the pace slows in middle reels as plot gives way to the troupe's enjoyable stage performances.
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The Playboys
Overview
A young woman, Tara Maguire (Robin Wright) scandalizes her provincial Irish village in the 1950s by having a baby out of a wedlock, and refusing to name the father. She has a rare beauty and every man in town desires her, especially Sergeant Hegarty (Albert Finney). The arrival of a dramatic troupe stirs things up even more, especially when she falls in love with one f the "Playboys", Tom Casey (Aidan Quinn).
Director and cast
- Gillies MacKinnon Director
- Albert Finney as Constable Brendan Hegarty
- Aidan Quinn as Tom Casey
- Robin Wright as Tara Maguire
- Milo O'Shea as Freddie
- Alan Devlin as Malone
- Niamh Cusack as Brigid Maguire
- Niall Buggy as Denzil
- Ian McElhinney as Joe Cassidy
- Stella McCusker as Rachel
- Anna Livia Ryan as Vonnie
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
It seems like everyone had a ball; I know I did.
This absorbing film boasts several outstanding performances as well as a richness in both story and character that is much too rare these days.
With time, place and mood sensitively evoked, this is solid, intelligent entertainment, mercifully free of the usual 'Oirish' cliches.
There's magic in it.
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