Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The TV series Mrs. Brown's Boys has divided opinion from audiences and critics alike, and it was inevitable that with the great success of the show the creators would attempt a full length movie. Basically Agnes Brown (Brendan O'Carroll) is an independent market trader, selling fruit and vegetables on her stall in Moore Street market, in Dublin. But her livelihood is threatened by greedy businessmen who want to take out all the market stalls and build a shopping centre on the site, Mrs. Brown is threatened when she has a bill for unpaid tax. Mrs. Brown has to prove that this bill has already been paid, this matter is taken to the courtroom, but she is unable to present evidence, her case gets a lot of attention from the press, who praise her as the best mother in Ireland, but she makes a shock confession that she briefly had some of her children put into care. Eventually it is discovered that a receipt exists of the bill payment at the NRS, failed attempts are made to take the receipt to the courtroom, but Russian mobsters are getting involved in the corruption and get to it before Mrs. Brown's friends and family can get to it. In the end, Mrs. Brown is proved to have paid the bill, when a braille version of the receipt is found, the case against her is dropped and everyone celebrates as the market is saved. Also starring Brendan O'Carroll as Mr. Wang, Eilish O'Carroll as Winnie McGoogan, Jennifer Gibney as Cathy Brown, Danny O'Carroll as Buster Brady, Paddy Houlihan as Dermot Brown, Fiona O'Carroll as Maria Brown, Rory Cowan as Rory Brown, Gary Hollywood as Dino Doyle, Pat Shields as Mark Brown, Dermot O'Neill as Grandad Brown, Fiona Gibney as Sharon McGoogan, Amanda Woods as Betty Brown, Martin Delany as Trevor Brown, Cold Feet's Robert Bathurst as Maydo Archer, Conor Moloney as Father Damien, Father Ted's Frank Kelly AS Justice Cannon, Dermot Crowley as P.R. Irwin, Sorcha Cusack as Justice Dickie, David Armand as James (PA), Jimmy Gibney as Father McBride, Boyzone's Keith Duffy as Security Guard John and Eamonn Holmes. O'Carroll is likable as the brash heroine with a foul mouth, unfortunately he has not written or produced something that memorable, all the supporting cast from the TV show do fine as well, especially Eilish O'Carroll as the reliable sidekick and Danny O'Carroll as the dimwitted career criminal being less than helpful. The best qualities of the show are the studio audience interaction, and the inclusion of production mistakes, fluffed lines, tomfoolery and cast laughing and smirking, the audience is missing and only tiny elements remain from the format, the story is only mildly and the jokes are a bit obvious, to be honest, it is not as funny as I'd hoped it would be, I suppose it's an alright comedy. Okay!

Writing the review for Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie is turning out to be a surprisingly depressing experience. So in an attempt to delay commenting on the actual movie itself, I thought I'd briefly give my opinions on the series on which it is based. Perhaps it may provide some context as to why this film turned out as dreadful as it did, and how it may have wrecked the entire franchise.Each episode of Mrs Brown's Boys is thirty straight minutes of relentless stupidity. The fact that it's stupid is not a problem. Stupid and unfunny, that would be a problem. Fortunately, the show is gut-bustingly hilarious, and the tone of the show is very carefully constructed. Its embracing of its studio audience, limited sets, regular fourth-wall moments and inclusion of genuine bloopers add a sense of warmth to it, and it simulates a real theatrical experience. But in the end, it owes almost its entire wealth of success to Brendan O'Carroll's wonderful performance. His physical comedy is top notch; his comic timing is perfect; and he knows exactly how ridiculous the show is and uses it to his advantage (for example, scolding the studio audience in episode one for feeling sorry for the titular character, reminding them: "It's a man in a f--king dress"). With all its madness and idiocy, it really shouldn't work, but it does. It's simply riotous merriment that makes you feel good, says some lovely things about community and family, then allows you to carry on with your day.You will find that every single aspect that makes the series work is almost entirely absent from D'Movie. From the very beginning, it becomes startlingly clear how much the TV show depended on the support of its studio audience. Without them, the jokes seem mistimed and misplaced, each one falling flat on its face. That theatrical ambiance doesn't exist, and the film feels cold from the get-go. But I decided to try and get by this. Mr Bean kinda made it work, so maybe Mrs Brown can too. Unfortunately, she can't. The film cannot establish a coherent and consistent tone. Instead of relishing in its own ridiculousness, the film appears to be trying to take itself seriously, half-heartedly encouraging us to give one iota about its lame, stock, TV-to-cinema cliché of a plot. It's contrived and over-sentimental. (They actually played You Raise Me Up. They actually did.) The use of bloopers is odd in a film of this kind, and even they feel staged. Though O'Carroll's performance (as Brown only, not that Asian impersonation monstrosity) is still quite effective at times, and I admit to quite enjoying The Script's nauseatingly cheerful theme song, the film misses the point of the series entirely.It seems as though D'Movie has been created for the sole purpose of making money. Frankly, I'm disappointed in O'Carroll. Milking his own creation - a character I thought he cared so zealously about - to make a little bit more cash is something I would never have expected from him. I still question, did he actually think this would work? That his crazy, stupid, hilarious show would benefit from stretching it out to ninety minutes and taking away everything about it that makes it unique? I seriously have no idea. The movie shines a harsh light on the bare bones of Mrs Brown's humour, sans atmosphere and warmth. And it's not a pretty sight. Sadly, the film has done nothing for me other than make me feel slightly embarrassed about liking Mrs Brown in the first place.

we met the sitcom by coincidence on TV in Belgium last year.it was really hilarious.in spring 2014 we went on Holyday to Ireland and went to the exhibition in The Little Museum in Dublin.the result is that i was even more interested in a copy of the movie on DVD.i learned the release has taken place a few months ago. my questions are: when is the movie to be released in Belgium? what languages are the subtitles on the DVD, is dutch included? i have no more questions, so, i have to fill up until i have the regular size for my review ;-))

I went to see this recently and was expecting the worst from hearing reports of people walking out halfway saying it was terrible and nothing like the TV show and it had lost its magic and I was pleasantly surprised to find they were wrong. Okay yes the start had me underwhelmed and I thought this will be crap but as we got further into it regained its magic by showing you the outtakes and breaking the 4th wall and giving you the Mrs Brown things that we love. Okay yes it's a bit more polished than the TV show but movies always will be they have longer to shoot and have more money generally but it still retains the charm of the show which I would say is purely down to Brendan and his craziness. It shows you a glimpse of life in Dublin and for people complaining about the swearing they clearly haven't spent much time there as this is what Dubliners are like it's just second nature to them and they don't see the offence in it as it is so natural. My favourite bits have to be the blind ninjas, riding around the streets in Mr Wang's car, the barrister with Tourettes, the car chase with the Russians.I laughed so much at these and they remind you why you love Mrs Brown in the first place. I enjoyed the movie after expecting it to be not very good and it was really good. It still has the innuendos we all know and love from Mrs Brown but maybe not as close to the wire as the TV show.Brendan O'Carroll has found a niche in the market and filled it brilliantly. Well done.