29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful and poignant!, February 11, 2000
The McCourts of New York is a great companion piece to Frank McCourt's memiors, Angela's Ashes and 'Tis, and to Conor McCourt's earlier film, The McCourts of Limerick. Its glimpses of the lives of the four McCourt brothers are funny and touching. The film gives not only a look at the rollicking past of the brothers McCourt but a personal look at what their family tragedies mean to them now. If you loved reading Angela's Ashes as much as I did, you'll want to see this wonderfully human documentary.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Irish-American delight, March 21, 2000
By A Customer
Anything from Frank McCourt is bound to be a delight, of course, but this film of his and Malachy, Michael, and Alphie's journey from poverty-stricken, poorly educated and poorly-equipped young immigrants to men who found some success and happiness in the world of the United States is a remarkable story. Conor McCourt, son of Malachy, treats the subject matter with tenderness and respect, while the broad and sometimes ironic humor of his father and uncles, especially Uncle Frank, laces the stories with a lightness. Somehow, where the McCourts go, humor always follows. In spite of the challenge of New York, the frustration of being poor, Frank's desire for education (he talks his way into college, even though he has never gone to high school) and Malachy and Michael's battles with the bottle, this is a down-to-earth rags-to-riches story that is at times hilarious, often poetically poignant, and occasionally, heroic. At the end of the film, they finally find the burial place of their long-dead sister, and give respect to her and their late mother in a scene that had tears running down my cheeks. And there is Frank, weeping, and yet injecting humor ("I'm not going to be buried, I'm going to be stuffed and mounted," and one of the brothers says, "Shaking hands." All laugh.) Conor McCourt has given us a look into the lives of his uncles in particular and of immigrants in general, and it is a look that left this viewer feeling richer for having seen it.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good follow-up to the McCourts of Limerick, October 8, 2000
By A Customer
This was an good film. I saw it after the McCourts of Limerick and it answers a lot of my questions. We get to follow the brothers as they each come to America. I liked the part of Frank's first days in NYC, Malachy's bars, smuggling gold and acting, the reading of Angela's diary, Alphie and his learning impaired daughter, and the brothers visit to the grave of the long dead sister. It is a heartfelt and touching effort by Conor, Frank's nephew and Malachy's son.
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