By FRANCESCA RUDKIN
(Herald rating: * * * )
No matter how much Guinness Pierce Brosnan drinks, no matter how many cigarettes he smokes, you just can't dirty up James Bond enough to truly believe he's working class.
Don't get me wrong, he does a pretty good job in this film as unemployed plasterer Desmond Doyle, living in a council flat in Dublin in 1953.
A few days' growth, messy, grey-flecked hair, dirty shoes and stained pants almost distract you from that seductive smirk, but it's moments of uncharacteristic vulnerability in Brosnan's performance that remind you that this actor can do more than sell credit cards.
Doyle is a desperate father. His three children, the eldest being Evelyn, are taken from him by the Irish Court when his wife takes off with another man for a better life in Australia.
Instructed by the court, and with the help of a barmaid (Margulies), Desmond finds work but cannot regain custody of his children without the mother's consent.
Doyle's last option is the radical one. With a trio of nothing-to-lose lawyers (Bates, Rea and Quinn), Doyle does something never before done in Ireland and challenges a law in the Irish Supreme Court to be recognised as a solo father.
As the trial comes to a conclusion, all Ireland comes to a standstill awaiting the outcome of the trial. But somehow we're not convinced they really care.
Evelyn's modesty, and sentimentality works for and against the film, which is based on a true story. The cast's performances are largely responsible for helping us to forgive the film for its Irish stereotypes.
Sanitised it may be, but magical performances from the children - especially Sophie Vavasseur as Evelyn - manage to make you reach for your hankie. Evelyn is charming and uplifting, even if it is a typical custody battle story disguised as a sweet Irish film.
CAST: Pierce Brosnan, Julianna Margulies, Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea, Alan Bates
DIRECTOR: Bruce Beresford
RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes
RATING: PG - adult themes
SCREENING: Rialto, Hoyts, and Village Cinemas
Evelyn
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