release date : december 11 , 1998 starring : ian bannen , david kelly , fionnula flanagan , susan lynch , james nesbitt , james ryland , eileen dromey , jimmy keogh directed by : kirk jones distributed by : fox searchlight pictures / 20th century fox films corp . mpaa rating : pg ( nudity , language , thematic elements ) url : <a href= " http : //www . execpc . com/~kinnopio/reviews/1998/waking . htm " >http : //www . execpc . com/~kinnopio/reviews/1998/waking . htm</a> earlier this year , the movie holy man opened to a meager box office receipt and to indifference from audiences and critics . a real charmer of a movie , it's possible that the subject matter was too hip or trendy to attract any real audience . now , at the end of 1998 , comes waking ned devine , a comedy which inspires the same vein of easygoing laughter . there's no substantial difference between the two other than a more refined atmosphere -- they strike all the same chords -- but still , ned devine is a movie worth seeing . the plot is interesting and robust : the latest lottery winner is ned devine ( jimmy keogh ) , of tullymore , ireland . ned's prize is over six million pounds , but the shock of winning killed the poor old man , and the check remains unclaimed . enter jackie o'shea ( ian bannen ) and michael o'sullivan ( david kelly ) , the only two residents who are aware the winner is in their village . the two men eventually find the ticket , and decide that if michael can convince the lotto authorities that he's actually ned , the entire town can reap the benefits ; their only adversary is an ancient old woman ( eileen dromey ) who sees more profit in reporting the fraud . ian bannen and david kelly truly shine as jackie and michael . jackie , stocky and large , is the brains behind the operation ; michael , scrawny and short , is the method man . the two contrast each other delightfully , and at the same time remain sympathetic to the audience . every viewer is sure to like both of them . there are other minor subplots included as well , such as an unlikely romance between a local girl and the town pig farmer . this appears quite inconsequential until the end , and even with a startling revelation it's a tad bit unnecessary . overall , waking ned devine has a predictable outcome , and plot twists are never really taken seriously . the ending , a very hilarious and very ironic twist of fate , somehow fits with the twisted sense of humor the movie exhibits throughout . the kirk jones script is indeed off-the-cuff . in a way , waking ned devine is exactly like the class of people it presents : warm , friendly , outgoing , and jovial . it's the perfect kind of comedy , a real gem of a tale that sets up a trivial plot outline by which to introduce a sympathetic cast of characters and a string of jokes . there's nothing remotely serious or grounded for more than a moment or two , because the spirit of ned devine is a lighthearted one . indeed , it's one of the year's best feel-good movies -- 91 minutes of unrestrained joy that no one should miss . 
