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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Going Places went nowhere for me, July 6, 2000
I took this video sight unseen, in part, because it was previously screened on PBS. My thinking was that if it was good enough for national broadcast, it probably wasn't all that bad. I should have known better. Looking forward to my family's trip to the Olde Sod in the near future, I also looked forward to images that would get us pumped up. Going Places, as it turned out, was maybe a notch above a home video. It depicted a young American man from Washington, DC as he came over to make tracks around the country in a rented caravan. It started by showing him bridling the horse - a scene that took up almost 5 minutes. Another scene took up an inordinate amount of time showing him at the hall of records researching his roots. It contrasted this young man's trip to Ireland with an elderly couple - American again - checking into a bed and breakfast and later checking out bicycles and attending a make-believe Medieval dinner and cabaret at a real-live, honest-to-goodness, oh-how-quaint castle. Golly, gee whiz, the workers all dressed up in frilly period costumes, and all, even sounded like the real thing, calling the sightseers in attendance for the Medieval banquet "My Lady, My Lord" and so forth. Great stuff for the packaged tour AMEX traveler, but not for travelers who like to get out and see the real places with the way the people really are in real life. I would have liked this video more if it had shown Ireland and the Irish people the way the naturally are. (I realize this is open to lots of interpretations) As it was, the film showed Americans going to touristy places and doing touristy things. There was far too much dialogue compared to images. It lingered from scene to scene, overstaying its welcome in practically each one. It could have taken us to an Irish Auction, instead of The Rose of Tralee Festival in which it followed an American contestant throughout. There'd be nothing wrong with showing the great marketplace on Henry Street with real Irish people hawking their wares. It could have lavished the screen with more natural scenery - and Ireland has much. Too many indoor scenes. And too much dialogue - especially with American accents. Not to be even more nit-picky, but. . . .Going Places also was lacking in at least one technical area, if not more. The color of the Emerald Isle seemed tainted - more of a pale green - not the vivid hues Ireland is known for - and what I remember from being there. In spite of the fact that the film mostly showed Americans making their rounds to the usual tourist traps, this could have been redeeming, if not interesting, if the pacing wasn't so slow, dwelling on so many impertinent aspects such as bridling a horse or a make-believe Medieval show. To its credit, it spared us from having to see them kissing the Blarney Stone. I cannot speak for others, but when I go abroad I do not seek out fellow Americans. I do not expect to see Americans hogging space in a film that is ostensibly about another land, either. Going Places did exactly that.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Going Places went nowhere for me, July 6, 2000
I took this video sight unseen, in part, because it was previously screened on PBS. My thinking was that if it was good enough for national broadcast, it probably wasn't all that bad. I should have known better. Looking forward to my family's trip to the Olde Sod in the near future, I also looked forward to images that would get us pumped up. Going Places, as it turned out, was maybe a notch above a home video. It depicted a young American man from Washington, DC as he came over to make tracks around the country in a rented caravan. It started by showing him bridling the horse - a scene that took up almost 5 minutes. Another scene took up an inordinate amount of time showing him at the hall of records researching his roots. It contrasted this young man's trip to Ireland with an elderly couple - American again - checking into a bed and breakfast and later checking out bicycles and attending a make-believe Medieval dinner and cabaret at a real-live, honest-to-goodness, oh-how-quaint castle. Golly, gee whiz, the workers all dressed up in frilly period costumes, and all, even sounded like the real thing, calling the sightseers in attendance for the Medieval banquet "My Lady, My Lord" and so forth. Great stuff for the packaged tour AMEX traveler, but not for travelers who like to get out and see the real places with the way the people really are in real life. I would have liked this video more if it had shown Ireland and the Irish people the way the naturally are. (I realize this is open to lots of interpretations) As it was, the film showed Americans going to touristy places and doing touristy things. There was far too much dialogue compared to images. It lingered from scene to scene, overstaying its welcome in practically each one. It could have taken us to an Irish Auction, instead of The Rose of Tralee Festival in which it followed an American contestant throughout. There'd be nothing wrong with showing the great marketplace on Henry Street with real Irish people hawking their wares. It could have lavished the screen with more natural scenery - and Ireland has much. Too many indoor scenes. And too much dialogue - especially with American accents. Not to be even more nit-picky, but. . . .Going Places also was lacking in at least one technical area, if not more. The color of the Emerald Isle seemed tainted - more of a pale green - not the vivid hues Ireland is known for - and what I remember from being there. In spite of the fact that the film mostly showed Americans making their rounds to the usual tourist traps, this could have been redeeming, if not interesting, if the pacing wasn't so slow, dwelling on so many impertinent aspects such as bridling a horse or a make-believe Medieval show. To its credit, it spared us from having to see them kissing the Blarney Stone. I cannot speak for others, but when I go abroad I do not seek out fellow Americans. I do not expect to see Americans hogging space in a film that is ostensibly about another land, either. Going Places did exactly that.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Going Places at a Snail's Pace, June 25, 2000
I took this video sight unseen, in part, because it was previously screened on PBS. My thinking was that if it was good enough for national broadcast, it probably wasn't all that bad. I should have known better. Looking forward to my family's trip to the Olde Sod in the near future, I also looked forward to images that would get us pumped up. Going Places, as it turned out, was maybe a notch above a home video. It depicted a young American man from Washington, DC as he came over to make tracks around the country in a rented caravan. It started by showing him bridling the horse - a scene that took up almost 5 minutes. Another scene took up an inordinated amount of time showing him at the hall of records researching his roots. It contrasted this yong man's trip to Ireland with an elderly couple - American again - checking into a bed and breakfast and later checking out bicylces and attending a make-believe Medeival dinner and cabaret at a real-live, honest-to-goodness, oh-how-quaint castle. Golly, gee whiz, the workers all dressed up in frilly period costumes, and all, even sounded like the real thing, calling the sightseers in attendence for the Medeival banquet "My Lady, My Lord" and so forth. Great stuff for the packaged tour AMEX traveller, but not for travellers who like to get out and see the real places with the way the people really are in real life. I would have liked this video more if it had shown Ireland and the Irish people the way the naturally are. (I realize this is open to lots of interpretations) As it was, the film showed Americans going to touristy places and doing touristy things. There was far too much dialogue compared to images. It lingered from scene to scene, overstaying its welcome in practically each one. It could have taken us to an Irish Auction, instead of The Rose of Tralee Festival in which it followed an American contestant throughout. There'd be nothing wrong with showing the great marketplace on Henry Street with real Irish people hawking their wares. It could have lavished the screen with more natural scenery - and Ireland has much. Too many indoor scenes. And too much dialogue - especially with American accents. Not to be even more nit-picky, but. . . .Going Places also was lacking in at least one technical area, if not more. The color of the Emerald Isle seemed tainted - more of a pale green - not the vivid hues Ireland is known for - and what I remember from being there. In spite of the fact that the film mostly showed Americans making their rounds to the usual tourist traps, this could have been redeeming, if not interesting, if the pacing wasn't so slow, dwelling on so many impertinent aspects such as bridling a horse or a make-believe Medeival show. To its credit, it spared us from having to see them kissing the Blarney Stone. I cannot speak for others, but when I go abroad I do not seek out fellow Americans. I do not expect to see Americans hogging space in a film that is ostensibly about another land, either. Going Places did exactly that.
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