best movie i've ever seen.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

This is a wonderfully sensitive and human film, well scripted, well acted, superbly directed. And so what if the women come out as the winners. It's a delightful story of sexual awakening, done in a charming, cheeky Irish style. Provocative yet tasteful. Funny yet serious. One of those rare films in which everything works!

This is a quaint and charming little comedy about life and love in rural northwestern Ireland. The question remains, how many rural Irish comedies can we watch before the material starts to get stale. The story begins with the single men of this little town complaining that the women are substandard and there are no marriage prospects. After downing far too many pints, they decide to place an advertisement in the Miami Herald to see if they can induce some American women to come to Ireland to the big town dance. When the townswomen get wind of the scheme, they invite some Spanish fishermen to the same dance. The result is a succession of comical situations where everyone makes fools of themselves in anticipation of the big day. The net result of all this is the lesson Dorothy learned when she left Kansas; that when you are looking for your heart's desire, you don't have to look any further than your own backyard. Aileen Ritchie's directorial debut was marked by some nice photography of well-selected locations and an alluring portrayal of the local color and appeal. The characters all seemed very genuine and unaffected; the way country folks generally are regardless of national origin. The scenes leading up to the dance work well, but the film bogs down after the dance as the tone changes from mirthful to dramatic. The acting was generally good with a couple of standouts. Ian Hart stole the show as Kieran the headstrong town butcher. He was simultaneously affable and obnoxious. His character's complete obliviousness to how ridiculous he was gave Hart ample opportunity to become a laugh magnet. Niahm Cusack was also enchanting as Kate, mixing mischievousness with romantic appeal to create a delightful character.I rated this film a 7/10. It is very light fare, silly enough that it will get a chuckle or two out of almost everyone.

It's an interesting premise but the execution is poor. This is a well-made bad film, which is quite frustrating. If I had to single out anything it's the story. Sometimes a very poor predictable plot will be successful (witness the Full Monty from the same producer) but this time it is devoid of charm and flops badly. I don't need formulaic traditional three-act structures but the characters need to be solid and true. The three main relationships at the centre of the film offer conflict but no drama because the characters are under-developed and so their actions are unconvincing.Ideally the accents would be more accessible for an international audience while still being authentic. I say accents but it's really only one actor I had a problem with.There were a couple of laugh out loud moments in the film and it generated a few smiles but I was surprised to see it described as a comedy on IMDB. I honestly don't think it was written as one.I'm afraid I can't think of a single reason to see this film and I've really tried to, honestly.

...to be portrayed in these quaint comedies as eccentric small town dreamers. It worked in Hear My Song (still the Irish comedy that rules in my book), The Commitments (OK, that was not set in a small town, but you get the point). Waking Ned Devine was pleasant but familiar and slight. And now The Closer You Get, which rehashes all of the "silly Irish people" elements and combines it with an idea straight out of The Full Monty (a British film about middle aged men deciding to do a strip tease to boost their morale). The message of The Full Monty was be youself and be happy with what you have. A point that The Closer You Get hammers into its viewers. I cannot actively dislike any Irish film, because even if you have a trite story and underdeveloped characters, you can always look at the scenery! I guess if we want hard-edged Irish films, we have to continue to seek out Neil Jordan's movies. I was disappointed.