The Van (1996 film)
| The Van | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Stephen Frears |
| Written by | Roddy Doyle |
| Produced by | Lynda Myles Mark Shivas |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Oliver Stapleton |
| Edited by | Mick Audsley |
| Music by | Eric Clapton Richard Hartley |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
The Van is a 1996 film, based on the novel The Van (the third in The Barrytown Trilogy) by Roddy Doyle. Like The Snapper (1993), it was directed by Stephen Frears. (The first movie of the trilogy, The Commitments (1991), was directed by Alan Parker). It was entered into the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.[1]
Plot
Set in "Barrytown", a fictitious working-class quarter of Dublin. Brendan "Bimbo" Reeves gets laid off from his job as a baker. With his redundancy cheque, he buys a van and sells fish and chips with his best mate, Larry. Due, in part, to Ireland's surprising success at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, their business starts off well. But the relationship between the two friends soon becomes strained as Bimbo and his wife, Maggie behave more and more like typical bosses. Larry believes that Maggie is the cause of the strained friendship, as he thinks she is pushing Bimbo away from him. The van is closed down because of poor hygiene by health inspector, Des O'Callaghan. Bimbo thinks that Larry told the Health Board about the van, leading to a fight between the two. Larry quits the job, despite Bimbo's best efforts to get him back. Bimbo then drives the van into the sea, so as to win his friendship with Larry back.
Cast
- Colm Meaney - Larry. Named Jimmy Rabbitte in the book. He is Bimbo's best friend but the friendship becomes strained because of Bimbo's bossiness.
- Donal O'Kelly - Brendan "Bimbo" Reeves. Larry's best friend, but Larry believes that the van's ownership should be split 50-50 between them.
- Ger Ryan - Maggie; Bimbo's wife. Larry strongly dislikes her because of her bossiness, calling her a "stupid bitch". She is the van's secretary.
- Caroline Rothwell - Mary; Larry's wife. Named Veronica in the book.
- Neilí Conroy - Diane; Larry and Mary's daughter. Named Sharon in the book.
- Rúaidhrí Conroy - Kevin; Larry and Mary's son. Named Darren in the book.
- Brendan O'Carroll - Weslie; Larry and Bimbo's friend. Named Bertie in the book.
- Stuart Dunne - Sam
- Jack Lynch - Cancer
- Laurie Morton - Maggie's Mum
- Marie Mullen - Vera
- Jon Kenny - Gerry McCarthy
- Moses Rowen - Glenn
- Linda McGovern - Jessica
- Eoin Chaney - Wayne
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 38% based on reviews from 21 critics.[2]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said, "When I saw The Van for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996, I felt it was the least of the three films, and I still do, but it was trimmed of about five minutes of footage after Cannes and, seeing it again a year later, I found it quicker and more alive. It is also the most thoughtful, in a way, and the ending has a poignancy and an unresolved quality that is just right: These disorganized lives would not fit into a neat ending.[3]
References
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Van". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1077062-van/
- ^ "The Van" Review, June 27, 1997 http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-van-1997
External links
- The Van at IMDb
- The Van at AllMovie
- The Van at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Van at Box Office Mojo
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