Cast: Ian Hart, Sean McGinley, Niamh Cusack, Ruth McCabe
Director: Aileen Ritchie
Producer: Uberto Pasolini
Screenplay: William Ivory, based on a story by Herbie Wave
Cinematography: Robert Alazraki
Music: Rachel Portman
U.S. Distributor: Fox Searchlight
The Closer You Get, the feature debut of director Aileen Ritchie, is one of those feather-light romantic comedies that's pleasant to watch but not likely to stick in the mind long after the end credits have rolled. It's a welcome distraction, but not much more. The film takes place in Ireland, and some of its charm comes from the culture and countryside. Had this movie been set in the United States, it doubtless would have been less engaging and would have seemed more like a re-tread. Of course, all of the characters in this film are eccentrics, but that's only to be expected, since a movie featuring normal Irish folk wouldn't be as quirky.
The Closer You Get focuses on the romantic trials and tribulations of a group of young men living in a small, out-of-the-way village. They meet every night in the pub to bemoan the lack of attractive, eligible women in their town. Of course, this sort of talk doesn't go over well with the members of the opposite sex. Oddly, with the exception of the pub owner, no one seems to be married. In fact, the local priest, who is new to the district, has never performed a wedding. Eventually, bitten by the romance bug, the men take an action out of desperation. Led by their ring-leader, Kieran O'Donnagh (Ian Hart), who is said to have "the constitution of an ox and the wits to match," they decide to place an ad in a Miami newspaper trumpeting the assets of their village and its men for any adventurous American women who would like to cross the ocean and get married. (No "Who Wants To Marry A Multimillionaire?" here.) Then, to the amusement of the local womenfolk, they sit back and await the arrival of their potential brides.
There's something distinctly Full Monty-ish about this motion picture, and that's undoubtedly the reason Fox Searchlight (distributor of the surprise 1997 hit) picked up The Closer You Get. Both movies feature virtually unknown casts with a single recognizable name (The Full Monty had Robert Carlyle; this movie has Ian Hart, who has appeared in Hollywood productions like Enemy of the State and played John Lennon in Backbeat). The Full Monty was about a bunch of down-on-their-luck, average men achieving self-respect by becoming male dancers; The Closer You Get is about a bunch of down-on-their luck, average men achieving self-respect by finding the right woman.
The romantic fantasy employed here is a common one - that we often miss true love because we're busy looking in the distance while it's right under our nose. That's where the title comes from: "The closer you get to something, the harder it is to see." It's only when the local women invite a group of itinerant Spanish fishermen to a dance that the men begin to feel the first prickings of jealousy. The Closer You Get details three romantic entanglements. Kieran is oblivious to the attentions of Siobahn, the surly assistant at his butcher's shop, until it's almost too late. Kieran's brother, Ian, is in love with the wife of the philandering pub owner. And Ollie is a 36-year old virgin who wants to learn about sex so he can please an as-yet unknown future bride. Then there's Sean, who is less interested in getting hitched than he is in getting out of the village and seeing the world.
The Closer You Get features a number of amusing comedic bits, most of which center on the local priest. In an attempt to get people to go to church more often, he arranges a "movie night." On one such occasion, however, the film in question turns out to be the Dudley Moore/Bo Derek feature 10 instead of the expected The Ten Commandments. This same priest has replaced the church's defunct bell with a set of loudspeakers. Whenever he wants to toll the bell, he plays a cassette tape of famous bell ringings that the speakers amplify so the entire village can hear. Finally, in an attempt to give the Christian perspective on pre-marital sex and marriage, he presents an interesting comparison between women and suits.
With a single exception (the pub keeper), everyone in The Closer You Get is likable. Kieran may be a bit dense, but he's the kind of dullard who's easy to like. As was true of the characters in The Full Monty, we find ourselves rooting for these men, even though they're not traditional hero material. While Irish films have yet to become a staple of American cinema, they are gradually gaining in popularity. Like 1998's cheerful Waking Ned Devine, The Closer You Get can only help the image of the country's growing motion picture library.
© 2000 James Berardinelli