Customer Reviews

Tara Road

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It is a fascinating plot, well executed, with excellent character acting, well worth a watching.

The plot is about two hurting women. The first lost her son in a motorcycle accident on his birthday, on the motorcycle his father gave them.
The second has just found out that her husband's girlfriend is pregnant and he is leaving the wife for the girlfriend.
both women hope that a change of scenery offers a chance to fix what ails them. so they exchange houses for the summer.

What happens with each reflects partly the conditions, partly each woman's desire to heal and be whole again. The Dublin house is on Tara Road, it is the center of a large family with lots of social connections. The New England house is private, not surrounded by neighbors but isolated from all but 2 or 3. In a believable and understandable way, each woman adapts to her new surroundings, adopts the others house along with all of the other woman's attachments and begin to fix what ails them.

It is cute without being maudlin, you cheer for each, sharing their pain and hopes for a better life. You grimace when she takes the stupid husband back into her bed one last time, you love it when she tosses the vases and the bust at him. It is a tear jerker of a movie, with about equal amounts of tears and cheers, an upbeat ending where the bad guys suffer at the hands of their long suffering wives. All in all a decent movie.

TARA ROAD is a thickly populated movie that reaches for the female audience and succeeds in addressing old problems of infidelity and marriage conflicts. The problem is the story by highly published Irish author Maeve Binchy (adapted from Binchy's novel for the screen by Cynthia Cidre) is 'used goods' and while there are many moments of touching dialog there are equal moments of sham resolutions that in the end prove disappointing despite the cast of actors portraying these only occasionally interesting characters.

Two women, each bruised by life events, trade homes (Dublin, Ireland and Connecticut) to find the space to recover. In Connecticut, Marilyn (Andie MacDowell) is recovering from the accidental motorcycle (a birthday gift from his father Greg - August Zirner) death of her young son: grief has made her withdraw and lose her feelings for Greg. In Dublin, Ireland Ria (Olivia Williams) is blissfully happy in her beautiful home on Tara Road which she shares with her two children and her newly discovered unfaithful husband Danny (Iain Glen) - a lothario who has had affairs with Ria's best friend Rosemary (Maria Doyle Kennedy) and now confesses to the pregnancy of his current mistress Bernadette (Heike Makatsch). In too quick an instance Ria and Marilyn decide to swap homes with the hope that separation form their families will give them room to readjust to life. Each woman encounters the friends and neighbors of the other: Marilyn meets restaurateur Colm (Stephen Rea) among Ria's odd assortment of acquaintances while Ria encounters the brother of Greg and some intrusive and over the top friends of Marilyn. Gradually it all comes to a very predictable conclusion that simply solves too many problems too easily.

Director Gillies MacKinnon seems to have difficulty deciding how to maintain a tone for the film - a tearjerker versus a situation comedy. There are moments when the audience connects with some of the characters, but these are too few and separated by far too many stretches of weak writing. Despite some fine acting the movie never quite flies. Grady Harp, October 07

I was thrilled to find this released on DVD in the US. Although it had played in theatres abroad, it was never released for big-screen viewing in US. Too bad, as I found it most enjoyable and a reminder of how great Maeve Binchy's "Tara Road" was as a novel.

Although the movie only recounts about the final half of the book, the director has been able to lay open the characters of Marilyn and Ria and expose their deepest hurts in this engrossing tale of crumbling marriages. Andie McDowell gives an excellent portrayal of the emotionally frozen Marilyn, a Connecticut mother, reeling from the death of her fifteen-year-old son on his birthday. The surprise gift from his Dad, a motorcycle, leads to his death and causes a wide rift between the parents. Across the Atlantic at another birthday party in Dublin, the content Ria Lynch (Olivia Williams) learns from her husband Danny (Iain Glen) that he is leaving her for his pregnant girlfriend. Both women are at the end of their emotional ropes and through a midnight phone call are connected and arrange a house swap. Believing no problem is so big it can't be run away from, the two women each slip easily into the other's life. Each learns in her own way that life will never be the same but that doesn't mean it is over. Binchy's wonderful tale of healing transfers to the screen thanks to outstanding casting, lush scenery, and heartfelt situations. "Tara Road" is a most enjoyable movie to curl up and entertain yourself with for a couple of hours.

When they define the term "chick flick" in future dictionaries, Tara Road will likely be cited as a perfect example of the genre.

The film, starring Andie McDowell, is well done. As usual McDowell turns in a workmanlike performance as Marilyn, whose son dies in a motorcycle accident, in front of friends and family, during his birthday celebration. She becomes depressed and blames her husband for their son's death.

Olivia Williams also turns in a fine performance as Ria, Irish housewife whose husband is cheating on her. These two clearly have communication problems; in the beginning of the movie, she tells him she wants to have another child; he in turn tells her he has been having an affair.

So what happens? The two women hook up by phone a decide, in about two minutes, to switch residences and rebuild their lives. Marilyn acclimates herself to the Irish countryside, and Ria moves to Connecticut, loosens up and meets Marilyn's sassy friends.

The film is very formulaic. I did not read the book but some of the dialogue is sophmoric and I was surprised the actors were able to deliver their lines with a straight face. If you have some time to kill, and it's raining outside, go ahead and watch it. Otherwise, read the book. You'll probably find it more entertaining.

This was a good movie in several aspects. First was that it was a character piece, which is always a favorite genre of mine, even though the ending was a bit unrealistic.

For the most part, the movie was believable and I really cared for the characters involved. The acting was spot on and the actors involved give a stunning performance. Though it is not usually a highlight of mine, but the camera work was fantastic with all of the scenic shots of New England and Ireland. It was just beautiful. The pace of the movie was pretty good as well in that it wasn't going to fast but it kept the story rolling fast enough that it wasn't putting me to sleep either. The right balance was maintained for this movie from beginning to end. All in all, the movie was entertaining.

My only negative comment on this movie was how I felt after watching this movie. Instead of feeling inspired or enlightened I felt depressed instead.

Despite the fine acting, this movie is definitely a chick flick so if you are into that type of thing then this is a movie you need to rush out and pick up.

Quickly, I'll get the DVD features out of the way - there are next to none, at least on the advanced copy. The special features have some previews and an interview with Maeve Binchy - that's it. There are subtitles for closed captioning and Spanish, but no other audio choices - no Dolby choices or DTS.

I have to go on also by saying that I'm not a big Andie MacDowell fan. She always seems a little stilted and plastic to me - this movie is no exception. There's just so rarely any emotion in her face, and it's disconcerting for me. Maeve Binchy's novels are generally OK for me, but she's also not my favorite author, so that may have something to do with it. Olivia Williams as Ria, however, is neatly luminous and a high point for the movie.

The beginning of the movie is pretty slow. I understand that we need to know why there's a house exchange, but... Much of the set up just seems somewhat unnecessary. I am a reader and nearly always prefer books to movies - I feel that this slow set-up would have been fine in the book, but movies by necessity have to go faster or they'll end up boring.

I just can't help but feel that this was not a book that should have been made into a movie. The cast is good enough, my dislike of Andie aside, it's probably a lovely romantic novel - in fact I have several friends who've told me how much they loved the book - but there's just not enough action to warrant a film. I would say that it reminds me somewhat of "Under the Tuscan Sun" - another fine book that didn't translate well to the big screen. However, if you enjoyed that movie, well, this one might be right up your alley.

Tara Road, based on the Maeve Binchy novel of the same name, follows the parallel lives of two women, one Irish and one American, as they come to terms with loss. American Marilyn (Andi McDowell) has lost her beloved fifteen year old son to a motorcycle accident, and the all-consuming grief of it drives her from her husband. Irish Ria (Olivia Williams) faces the devastating news that her husband is leaving her for his pregnant girlfriend despite the family and household he and Ria have built. When a spontaneous phone call results in a house swap, the two women temporarily slip into the life the other has left behind.

The film unfolds in scenes alternating with the same themes, starting with the two birthday parties that each end in loss. The duality of these scenes works well since the characters and their circumstances are different enough to hold viewer interest and each moves the plot along. Andi McDowell puts in a competent, if at times overly pinched, performance, while Olivia Williams is radiant and convincing as the transforming Ria. Stephen Rea stands out in the supporting cast as the charming, sensitive Colm who helps out Ria by planting a garden in her absence and who gives Marilyn the undemanding support she needs.

For the first eighty or so minutes, I was surprised by how much I liked this film, with its Irish and New England scenery, telling camera shots, and solid acting. The drama had none of the syrupy feel-good moments that often accompanies this kind of film, and instead developed gentle moments that nudged the plot forward. Unfortunately, the end, with its inexcusable deus ex machina, throws all the good out with an improbable--and yes, saccharine--resolution.

The DVD has only one special feature, an interview with Maeve Binchy, the author of the novel from which the screenplay was adapted. Binchy starts off with an involved plot summary even though the viewer most likely has just finished watching it. Even her account of how the idea came to her is mundane. She offers no insight, no illumination, nothing that adds to the viewer's appreciation of the story. I know DVDs are expected to offer more than just the film, but in non-special effect, simple dramas such as Tara Road, there is no point.

This film will likely have the men running from the room, while women will find it more entertaining.

"Tara Road" is a mildly enjoyable, "TV chick flick" sort of movie. You know the story by now--two women going through emotional turmoil exchange houses and end up changing their lives, in both cases for the better. But for some excellent acting, I would have given this film one star. I've always liked Andie McDowell's classic but unconventional looks; no longer rail-thin and with a few wrinkles, I thought she was quite good here. There's a scene where she literally howls her grief by the side of the pool where her son died that was very powerful, as is the scene when she describes that death for the first time to others. I also liked Iain Glen as Ria's husband--a nice enough seeming guy at the outset, his character becomes sleazier by the minute, and his looks and manner reflect it. But the plot is weak, and the supporting actors don't ring true--Ria's Irish neighbors are stereotypes, and Marilyn's crazy friends are improbable for such a buttoned-up sort of woman. And the ending is a deus-ex-machina wave of the wand--a minor character comes out of the woodwork to solve all. Life isn't so simple, and if we could transform our lives by changing houses for a few months, we'd all be doing it regularly. This was a good movie for me to watch when I was too tired to concentrate on anything serious, but I'm glad I didn't ask my husband to join me!

I was pleasantly surprised by this film as I had never heard of the book or adaptation before. Andie McDowell actually isn't bad here in what is probably her least annoying performance. Olivia Williams is also quite good as the other female lead. A few of the sets in NY at the end look staged, but overall getting a look a Dublin and watching the always affable and effective Stephen Rea work his charms make this a nice little rainy day cuddle up on the couch with the wife movie. Not as maudllin or morose as it may appear at first this is actually a bit uplifting and life affirming. The Holiday without the goofy, ungrounded and forced humour. Recommended mildly.

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the acting in this movie. True, the script leaves much to be desired, but Andie McDowell and the rest of the cast does an excellent job of resurrecting the emotions of the characters. I can't say much about the story - a mother in Connecticut loses her child in a motorcycle accident (on the day of his 15th birthday and right in front of her eyes), while another mother in Ireland gets the cold shoulder from her husband of over 10 years. Each of them is looking for something new in her life and so they connect and swap houses (this reminds me of the movie 'The Holiday').
The movie waivers between sad and comic as it progresses through the experiences of each mother's new experiences with culture, emotional transformations and eventually leads to the average Hollywood's SWEET'N SOUR ending where each discovers herself in her own way.

An okay-movie to spend a weeknight, but not good enough for much more than that.
Other recommendations: `The Holiday', `About a Boy', `Love Actually'.