Evelyn (Cert PG, 95 mins) Stars Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Vavasseur, Julianna Margulies and Aidan Quinn Director Bruce Beresford
SHEDDING his James Bond persona for a quick wander down the memory lane of Irish angst, Pierce Brosnan retains his trademark twinkle-eyed whimsy but infuses an emotional depth to this true tale.
He is Desmond Doyle whose wife runs off leaving him with his six kids; or, as the Irish State insisted, he could visit them in care. No single parents allowed, and certainly not a bloke.
They where whisked away from him and their home in the infamous Fatima Mansions in Dublin to be reared under the watchful of convent nuns.
He decides to take on the Minister of Education and fight for his children.
Brosnan is very believable and acceptable in the role of the extremely handsome painter and decorator Desmond and his daughter Evelyn - who wrote a best seller based on her dad's struggle - attests that her daddy certainly was a grand looking man.
There is a warm and sympathetic understanding between Brosnan and the ten-year-old Sophie Vavasseur - a Dublin lass herself - who takes on the role of Evelyn with enthusiasm.
The story became a 'cause celebre' in Ireland at the time and Desmond a folk hero of sorts, eventually beating the system with the help of the new lady in his life - Julianna Margulies beautifully underplaying the part - and her solicitor brother Michael, corking stuff from Stephen Rea.
Into the fray marches Irish American pal - and lawyer - Nick, Aidan Quinn in feisty form who quickly hauls in the help of his distinguished legal boffin chum Tom Connolly.
The screen literally fizzes when Alan Bates as Tom is first encountered, a larger-than-life performance for a real-life larger-than-life Dublin character.
Yeh sure, we are wallowing in the heart-rending sort of guff that our American allies in mayhem would stuff with angelic choirs and schmaltz but the Irish pack with boozy singalongs, scuffles with nuns and a humdinger of a nail-biting court case.
When Evelyn Doyle first saw the movie she cried. You might well do the same yourself as Brosnan and the kids work a certain magic that demands a pocket full of hankies.
