Trivia for
The Commitments (1991) More at IMDbPro »

• The producers wanted Andrew Strong's father to audition for one of the roles. He brought his 16-year old son along, who then landed the lead role.
  
  
• One of the audition songs is the title song from Fame (1980) (also directed by Alan Parker).
  
  
• Jimmy is asked if he has brought Mississippi Burning (1988) (also directed by Parker) with him on the train. He is also asked if he has any "Hothouse Flowers", a band in which Maria Doyle Kennedy (Natalie) once sang backup for.
  
  
• Director Cameo: [Alan Parker] the record producer in the studio near the end of the film. A cardboard cut-out of him can also be seen in the background in a video shop, and cassettes of his films are on the shelves.
  
  
• Jimmy shows Joey a newspaper article about the Commitments, in which musician Bob Geldof is mentioned. Geldof starred in Pink Floyd The Wall (1982) which was directed by 'Parker, Alan'.
  
  
• Alan Parker originally wanted Van Morrison for the role of Joey "The Lips" Fagan
  
  
• Alan Parker put many people who did not make the initial audition for the band in bit parts in the movie.
  
  
• The song Natalie is singing to the baby (before Deco starts banging on the drums) is called "Jimmy Mo Mhile Stor".
  
  
• The kid on the skateboard who appears outside Robert Arkins' (Jimmy's) window during the first third of the movie when the band are recruiting members is the (now grown up) boy from the covers of U2's "Boy" (1980) and "War" (1983) albums. At the time The Commitments was filmed, he owned a skate shop in Dublin and was a champion skateboarder.
  
  
• The first of Roddy Doyle's so-called "Barrytown Trilogy" about the lives of the Rabbitt family. The remaining two books, The Snapper (1993) (TV) and The Van (1996) were also made into films starring Colm Meaney as Jimmy Rabbitt, Sr.
  
  
• A sequel was proposed for the film which would have reunited the band in New York City.
  
  
• Blaise Smith, who played the pool hall manager in the film, came close to getting the role of Jimmy Rabbitte
  
  
• Johnny Murphy (Joey The Lips) and Bronagh Gallagher (Bernie) were the only ones in the group who had no music experience before making the film.
  
  
• The performers first had to show musical talent, then they were given parts for which to read. After they were cast, there was a very long rehearsal period both for the music and the dramatic scenes.
  
  
• Alan Parker said that the reason he chose this project was because it combined two elements that make him the most comfortable: staging musical scenes and working with young people.
  
  
• The film runs for 113 minutes. In that time, the word "fuck" is used 145 times.
  
  
• The pool hall in this movie was a place called Ricardo's (now called Camden Deluxe) on Camden Street south of Temple Bar. It is now a bar and the upstairs junk room where the band rehearse is Poolhall. The scene outside the hotel where Wilson Pickett was supposedly staying was filmed outside the Mansion House, which is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin.
  
  
• A poster featuring Parker's earlier Birdy (1984) can be seen in the video store.
  
  
• Director Alan Parker cites this movie as the most personally enjoyable production experience of his career.
  
  
• The Corrs, the highly successful Irish band, got their start by auditioning for the film, and they each won small roles. Andrea Corr (lead vocals & tin whistle) plays Jimmy's little sister Sharon. Jim Corr (guitar) is part of the Avant-Garde-A-Clue Band. Caroline Corr (drums) appears in the audience during the performance of "I Never Loved A Man". Finally, Sharon Corr (violin) can be seen playing violin with the country & western band that Bernie joins at the end of the film. John Hughes, the film's musical coordinator, became the band's manager. Director Alan Parker later asked Andrea for a role in the film/musical Evita (1996).
  
  
• 'Colm MacConiomaire', violinist with Glen Hansard's band The Frames, makes a cameo appearance during the auditions as a young violin player.
  
  

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