Waking Ned Devine (1998)

This is my favorite Irish movie. So, for St. Patrick's Day I honor the winner of the 1998 New York Comedy Festival Best Picture award.

Any fan of big or small screen productions from "across the pond" will recognize many faces. Jackie O'Shea plays a good friend of a man who dies of the shock of winning the lottery. Michael O'Sullivan plays the other friend who conspires to trick the lottery people into paying out the prize. Annie O'Shea plays her husband's wife and co-conspirator.

This film is full of Irish humor, wisdom, and music. Absolutely brilliant. Don't let the scenery fool you however. This was shot entirely on the Isle of Man which sits in the Irish Sea but "belongs" to the United Kingdom.

If you have not seen it yet, please watch it soon if not for St. Patrick's Day. If you HAVE seen this before please watch it again with a mind towards your own friendships. Does your posse ride this tight? Most don't. Take a look at your community, regardless of how you define it. Could you pull this off? If not, and I daresay few of us could, we need to get to work improving our relationships with those around us who are incidental to our daily lives. The IS the point of this story.

Watch this with someone who wishes they lived in a bigger town or city.