The MatchMaker (1997)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Mark Joffe

Writers (WGA):

Greg Dinner (earlier screenplay)
Karen Janszen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A comedy for the incurably unromantic.

Plot:

Marcy is an assistant to Senator John McGlory, who is having problems with a re-election campaign. Desperate for Irish votes...

Plot Keywords:

Festival | Irish | Ireland | Matchmaker | Election

Cast

Janeane Garofalo	...	Marcy Tizard
David O'Hara	...	Sean Kelly
Milo O'Shea	...	Dermot O'Brien
Jay O. Sanders	...	Senator John McGlory
Rosaleen Linehan	...	Millie O'Dowd
Paul Hickey	...	Declan Kelly
Maria Doyle Kennedy	...	Sarah Kelly
Saffron Burrows	...	Moira Kennedy Kelly
Denis Leary	...	Nick
Olivia Caffrey	...	Annie
Joan Sheehy	...	Bus Passenger
Anne Gildea	...	Airport Assistant
Claude Clancy	...	Michael the Bus Driver
James Ryland	...	Sergeant Riley
David King	...	Local Lad No. 1

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

Ireland | UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Germany:6 (w) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cottonwood Cafe - 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Good Film Company

Trivia:

Ballinagra, the name of the town in the movie is a reworking on the Irish 'Baile Na Gra' which means 'Town of Love'.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In a scene where the senator (still in the US) is in a limousine, there are Ivory Coast flags flying from the car (orange, white and green, rather than the green, white and orange of the expected Irish flags). As this is exactly the kind of mistake a clueless wannabe-Irish politician might make, it might have been deliberate on the part of the film-makers.

Quotes:

Marcy Tizard: Wow, he must really like that dog...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Comedy Central Roast of Denis Leary (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Female of the Species

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match....

This sunny comedy, directed with great verve by Mark Joffe, kept reminding me of the whimsical comedy "Local Hero" by Bill Forsyth. The film cashes in the folklore of Ireland as no other film, in recent memory does. "The Matchmaker" will charm, as well as disarm all those viewers looking for a nice time at the movies by immersing in its wonderful spell and taking the trip of discovery to Ireland.

The story relies on all the color of the Emerald Island and its people. Where could there be a matchmaking festival, but if not in Ireland? The local characters live in a magical world. In a way, those people having lived in the area where the film takes place, are richer in traditions than we city folk are. It's a sobering experience for Marcy, the otherwise cynical girl that goes searching for her boss' roots in the old country and ends up being enchanted by what she finds there. It's an experience she will not forget easily.

Jeanane Garofalo is wonderful as Marcy. This actress always projects an intelligent aura into everything she plays in films. Milo O'Shea is always amazing in anything he plays; he is no exception on this film. Mr. O'Shea is simply marvelous. David O'Hara, Paul Hickey, Maria Boyle Kennedy, Saffron Burrows and Denis Leary, among others, do excellent work under Mr. Joffe's direction.