The Snapper (TV 1993)

Set in Ireland, Sharon Curley is a 20 year old living with her parents and many brothers and sisters. When she gets herself pregnant and refuses to name the father, she becomes the talk of ... See full summary »

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writers:

Roddy Doyle (novel), Roddy Doyle (screenplay)

Stars:

Colm Meaney, Tina Kellegher, Ruth McCabe

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 10 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colm Meaney	...	Dessie Curley - Rabbitte
Tina Kellegher	...	Sharon Curley - Rabbitte
Ruth McCabe	...	Kay Curley - Rabbitte
Eanna MacLiam	...	Craig Curley - Rabbitte
Peter Rowen	...	Sonny Curley - Rabbitte
Joanne Gerrard	...	Lisa Curley - Rabbitte
Colm O'Byrne	...	Darren Curley - Rabbitte
Ciara Duffy	...	Kimberley Curley - Rabbitte
Fionnuala Murphy	...	Jackie O'Keefe
Deirdre O'Brien	...	Mary (as Dierdre O'Brien)
Karen Woodley	...	Yvonne Burgess
Pat Laffan	...	George Burgess
Virginia Cole	...	Doris Burgess
Denis Menton	...	Pat Burgess
Brendan Gleeson	...	Lester

Storyline

Set in Ireland, Sharon Curley is a 20 year old living with her parents and many brothers and sisters. When she gets herself pregnant and refuses to name the father, she becomes the talk of the town.

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Plot Keywords:

ireland | adult lives at home | mother daughter relationship | train | beer | 

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Taglines:

She's got a little secret and a lot of explaining to do.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexuality

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Café irlandés

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Gross:

$3,323,524 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Dessie (Colm Meaney) is told that his daughter seems to be going into labor, he yells, "Red alert! Red alert!" - the infamous Star Trek line referring to a heightened state of alert. Meaney starred in two incarnations of Star Trek (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).

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Quotes

Young Lad: Is this your first?
Dessie Curley: Yeah. Oh no, no, no. It's, uh, it's my first grandchild. Is it your first?
Young Lad: No, my third.
Dessie Curley: Have you read this?
[holds a Family Planning book]

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Connections

References Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)

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Soundtracks

"Can't Help Falling In Love"
Performed by Lick the Tins

User Reviews

Warm and funny, but only superficially realistic

Fine acting by Colm Meaney (Dessie Curley) and Tina Kellegher (Sharon Curley) carry this offbeat tragi-comedy about the perils of out of wedlock pregnancy in a working class Irish family. I think the Pope would approve of how this subject was handled, if he approved of the subject being handled in the first place.

What do I mean? Well, here's an unwanted pregnancy that in the apprehension of some people could arguably be seen as a result of something about as close to a rape as it gets without technically being rape, depending upon how you define your "technically." (She was drunk and an older man took advantage of her in the parking lot of the pub.) I won't say more for fear of spoiling the plot for you, but be forewarned that some viewers will find the whole thing uncomfortable.

Roddy Doyle, the gifted fictionalist (Paddy Clarke, Ha, Ha, Ha, The Woman Who Walked into Doors, etc) wrote the novel and the screenplay. Stephen Frears (My Beautiful Laundrette 1985, Dangerous Liaisons 1988, etc.) directed. Doyle is a master of dialogue and has a warm sense of people that he imposes on his readers. Known as a realistic writer, he is actually a sentimentalist with a keen feel for the foibles of his characters.

There is a kind of TV sit-com feeling to Frears's direction in that nothing really depressing occurs. There's a neighborhood feel to the taunting, some windows are broken, and there's a fistfight, but none of the kids are on heroin or planting bombs. There's little violence and the sex depicted is minimalist. There's a sense that nothing is really wrong in the world, just some slips of behavior and some misunderstandings. You realize, for example, that despite Sharon's continued drinking the baby is not going to be born suffering from any kind of alcoholic syndrome. Furthermore, although Dessie has six kids to support, we never see him working overtime or worrying about money.

Doyle is also a political writer and has a message. His message here is that the gift of life is precious over and above how it is conceived and that narrow-minded men (grandfather-to-be Dessie Curley) can, through love, understanding and a little effort, rise above their prejudices and do the right thing and feel the right way. Politically speaking, the film walks softly and carries no banner between the two sides of the abortion question, clearly identifying with the pro-lifers without overtly offending the pro-choice side.

Perhaps it is best to leave the politics behind and, like many viewers, simply enjoy the laughs, the realistic dialogue and the warm, chaotic family atmosphere presented and save the moralizing for another day. By the way, you might have to watch this twice to catch some of the humor. Either that or have a good ear for the Irish brogue. For myself, I could have used subtitles.

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)