Tara Road

Andie MacDowell is shown up by her co-stars in Tara Road.

Herald rating: * * *

Tara Road is, unashamedly, a chick flick. Adapted by Cynthia Cidre (The Mambo Kings) and Shane Connaughton (My Left Foot) from internationally acclaimed Irish author Maeve Binchy's novel of the same name, this is a perfect film to drag your mum along to, just like I did.

Like many mothers and daughters we swapped Binchy novels on the beach during summer holidays many years ago.

Neither of us can clearly remember the plot of those summer reads, and this big screen adaptation tends to wash over you like a Sunday TV movie, which is a shame as the situations our two main protagonists find themselves in are complex and intense.

Tara Road is the story of two women's worlds turned upside down, and how, without even meeting, they help each other to rebuild their lives.

Ria Lynch (Williams) lives on Tara Rd in Dublin. She is reeling from her husband and father of her two children leaving her for his younger, pregnant mistress.

At the same time, Marilyn Vine (MacDowell) is coping with the death of her 15-year-old son in a motorcycle accident in the United States.

The two women share a need for time on their own, and an accidental phone call finds them spontaneously agreeing to a house swap for two months, with the hope their new surroundings will help them heal and move on with their lives.

My biggest concern about Tara Road was the casting of Andie MacDowell, an actress who has never convinced me of much. Although her performance wasn't as appalling as expected, she was shown up by Olivia Williams and especially by Stephen Rea's outstanding and understated performance as Marilyn's confidant and admirer while in Ireland.

While Tara Road as a whole feels disjointed and never quite clicks, it does make a sincere attempt to reveal observations about the complexity of grief, creating a few funny moments alongside moving scenes that reduced Mum to tears and had me searching for more tissues. Some would say that makes this Binchy adaptation a success.

CAST: Andie MacDowell, Olivia Williams, Ruby Wax, Stephen Rea
DIRECTOR: Gillies Mackinnon
RUNNING TIME: 96 mins
RATING: PG, contains coarse language
SCREENING: Rialto cinemas