‘The Miracle Club’ Review: Dream Cast of Laura Linney, Maggie Smith and Kathy Bates Elevates Irish Drama
14.07.2023 - 18:37
/ variety.com
Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic “The Miracle Club” may not be a faith-based movie in the traditional sense (that is, a film made with an explicitly evangelical Christian agenda), but this Ireland-set art-house offering is a movie about faith all the same — specifically, about the conviction that drives four women to make the pilgrimage from Ireland all the way to Lourdes, France, where the waters are believed to have holy healing powers. If “The Miracle Club” were an overtly religious film, audiences would know from the outset what to expect from the trip (namely, a miracle), whereas director Thaddeus O’Sullivan doesn’t presume to play God, focusing more on mending the relationship between his main characters.
And what a cast he’s assembled to explore these women’s spiritual growth. The movie’s nothing special, but it’s worth checking out just for the cast. Maggie Smith plays Lily, who lost her son to the sea decades earlier. Adopting an Irish accent and a frosty overall demeanor, Kathy Bates plays Eileen, who’s been nursing a grudge for nearly three decades, ever since ex-bestie Chrissie (American actor Laura Linney) left town. In the interim, Eileen (who’s married to a plumber played by Stephen Rea) has embraced a younger woman, Dolly (Agnes O’Casey), as sort of a replacement friend. The particulars of the characters’ falling-out slowly emerges over the film’s running time and probably won’t surprise many, though there is one big secret at the center of their discord that might perturb the Catholic crowd.
The movie confuses at first, introducing three of these women on the eve of a church-sponsored talent show. The winners get a trip to Lourdes. Second place: a bacon joint. (Everyone wants first prize.) O’Sullivan
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