| Photos (See all 14 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 3) |
| Michael Angarano | ... | Cole McKay | |
| Brendan Gleeson | ... | Desmond McKay | |
| Tom Guiry | ... | Terry McKay | |
| Melissa Leo | ... | Margaret McKay | |
| Emily VanCamp | ... | Kathleen McKay | |
| Michael Rispoli | ... | Joey | |
| Francis Capra | ... | Anthony | |
| Finn Curtin | ... | Coach Mahoney | |
| Scott Winters | ... | Doctor | |
| Frank T. Wells | ... | Father Magruder | |
| Wilson Better | ... | Graves | |
| Bonnie Dennison | ... | Maria | |
| Michael McCarthy | ... | Maria's Father | |
| Joanna Herrington | ... | Maria's Mother | |
| Kevin Chapman | ... | Officer Pierce | |
| Bates Wilder | ... | Officer Cowen | |
| Joe McEachern | ... | Officer Gianelli | |
| Caryn Andrea Lindsey | ... | Pregnant Girl #1 | |
| Erica Lynn Prance | ... | Pregnant Girl #2 | |
| Tom Kemp | ... | Priest | |
| Stacy Fischer | ... | Sister Mary Elise | |
| Mark S. Cartier | ... | Teacher | |
| John Fiore | ... | Tommy Orsini | |
| Peter Darrigo | ... | Track Buddy #2 | |
| Joseph Zamparelli | ... | Track Buddy #1 (as Joseph Zamparelli Jr.) | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Joseph Bianchi-Coppola | ... | Hoodlum (uncredited) | |
| Sandra Blaney | ... | Baseball Fan (uncredited) | |
| Christopher Connolly | ... | Detective (uncredited) | |
| Desiree April Connolly | ... | Mourner (uncredited) | |
| Steven Paul Davis | ... | Valet #1 (uncredited) | |
| Nicholas DiRamio | ... | Extra (uncredited) | |
| Shawn Doherty | ... | Valet #2 (uncredited) | |
| Alicia Dupuis | ... | Grieving Family Member (uncredited) | |
| William Christopher Ellis | ... | Busboy / Student (uncredited) | |
| Steve Flynn | ... | Stolen Car Victim (uncredited) | |
| Diane Halling | ... | Baseball Fan (uncredited) | |
| Mike Houston | ... | Police Officer (uncredited) | |
| David Ian | ... | Priest (uncredited) | |
| Michael Timothy Kennedy | ... | Baseball Fan (uncredited) | |
| Andrea Lyman | ... | Nurse (uncredited) | |
| Kevin O'Donnell | ... | Fired Busboy (uncredited) | |
| Carmel O'Reilly | ... | Sister Agatha (uncredited) | |
| Michael J. Peluso | ... | Teacher (uncredited) | |
| Patrick Pitu | ... | Boy on Bus (uncredited) | |
| Stream | ... | Dinner Guest (uncredited) | |
| Daniel Lee White | ... | Extra (uncredited) | |
| Donna Wong | ... | Restaurant Patron (uncredited) | |
| Peter Ziobro | ... | Bus Stop Patron (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Brad Gann | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Brad Gann | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Geraldine Crean | .... | executive producer | |
| Kelly Crean | .... | producer | |
| Shahen Derderian | .... | executive producer | |
| Benjamin C. Dewey | .... | line producer (as Ben Dewey) | |
| Mark Donadio | .... | producer | |
| Gwen Field | .... | executive producer | |
| Aaron Fishman | .... | co-executive producer (as Aaron Fischman) | |
| Sayda Foell | .... | associate producer | |
| Jon H. Freis | .... | co-executive producer (as Jon Freis) | |
| Brad Gann | .... | producer | |
| Julie Hall | .... | co-executive producer | |
| Parker Hall | .... | co-executive producer | |
| J. Todd Harris | .... | producer | |
| Frederick Johntz | .... | associate producer | |
| Barry Levy | .... | executive producer | |
| Gal Lipkin | .... | co-executive producer | |
| John MacNeil | .... | co-executive producer | |
| Miriam Marcus | .... | executive producer | |
| Laray Mayfield | .... | associate producer | |
| Jeffrey Orenstein | .... | producer | |
| Marc Toberoff | .... | executive producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| John Frizzell | (original score by) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Michael Fimognari | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Andrea Bottigliero | |||
Casting by | |||
| Laray Mayfield | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Sharon Lomofsky | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Danica Chipman | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Virginia Johnson | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Elizabeth Cecchini | .... | hair department head | |
| Trish Seeney | .... | makeup department head | |
| Sherryn Smith | .... | additional makeup artist | |
Production Management | |||
| Ben Dewey | .... | unit production manager | |
| Emily Hoge | .... | production supervisor | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| David Blazina | .... | second assistant director | |
| Paul Epstein | .... | first assistant director | |
| Nan Sandle | .... | third assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Noah Dubreuil | .... | property master | |
| Jennifer Engel | .... | leadman | |
| Wayne Kimball | .... | assistant property master | |
| John F. O'Neil | .... | on-set dresser | |
| Mario Presterone | .... | set dresser | |
| Christopher Sawtelle | .... | set dresser | |
| Barb Seidl | .... | art coordinator | |
| Lisa Shaftel | .... | lead scenic artist | |
| Alex Wayne | .... | assistant to lead man | |
Sound Department | |||
| Gary Alexander | .... | sound re-recording mixer: predubs | |
| Jeremy Dominick | .... | boom operator | |
| Mark Ettel | .... | sound effects mixer | |
| Mark Ettel | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Paula Fairfield | .... | sound designer | |
| Paula Fairfield | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Nelson Ferreira | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Robert Fitzgerald | .... | adr supervisor | |
| Robert Fitzgerald | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Greg Jefferson | .... | adr mixer | |
| Kevin S. Parker | .... | boom operator | |
| Paul Ratajczak | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Nathan Robitaille | .... | sound effects editor | |
| David J. Schwartz | .... | sound mixer | |
| Jarrett Simon | .... | boom operator | |
| Steven Utt | .... | adr recordist | |
Stunts | |||
| Roy Farfel | .... | stunt coordinator | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Beth Anderson | .... | camera loader | |
| Matt Ardine | .... | grip | |
| Tiffany Aug | .... | second assistant camera: "b" camera | |
| Robert Clark | .... | electrician | |
| Steve Drellich | .... | camera operator: "a" camera | |
| Geoff Eads | .... | grip | |
| Claire Folger | .... | still photographer | |
| Maria Luisa Gambale | .... | first assistant camera | |
| Jordan Garretson | .... | key grip | |
| Amanda Hannan | .... | grip | |
| Matt Harrington | .... | grip | |
| Mike Henry | .... | best boy grip | |
| Elizabeth Heslep | .... | second assistant camera | |
| Christian J. Hollyer | .... | second assistant camera | |
| Guy Holt | .... | rigging gaffer | |
| Dan Hutchinson | .... | best boy electric | |
| David Kane | .... | grip | |
| Mike Law | .... | electrician | |
| Robert Maffei | .... | camera operator: documentary | |
| Zac Miller | .... | additional grip | |
| Ryan Nelsen | .... | camera intern | |
| Adam Peabody | .... | grip | |
| Casey Van Maanen | .... | additional electrician | |
| Tim Wattez | .... | electrician | |
| Fletcher Wolfe | .... | camera intern | |
Casting Department | |||
| Melissa Paradice | .... | casting associate | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Elizabeth Clifford | .... | wardrobe supervisor | |
| Clinton E. O'Dell | .... | costumer | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Don Broida | .... | first assistant editor | |
| Julia Grove | .... | apprentice editor | |
| Michael Helm | .... | assistant editor | |
| Sara Rostami | .... | post-production production assistant | |
| John M. Vitale | .... | assistant editor | |
| Brendan Walsh | .... | assistant editor | |
| Lee Wimer | .... | color timer | |
Music Department | |||
| Michael Baber | .... | music editor | |
| Brian Ross | .... | music supervisor | |
| Sharon Smith | .... | music editor | |
| Frederik Wiedmann | .... | composer: additional music | |
Thanks | |||
| Finn Curtin | .... | very special thanks | |
| Peter Stormare | .... | very special thanks | |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section |
"Black Irish" is a great film because it has an affection for its setting and its characters. Despite having some tough subject material, it left me with a somewhat warm and fuzzy feeling.
Normally when writing a review, it is customary to give a short synopsis of the plot to let readers know if it is a film that they would be interested in seeing. But "Black Irish" isn't that kind of movie. It's all about the characters, the McKay family. The McKay's aren't doing very well. In fact, their family is more or less in shambles. Katie (Emily VanCamp) is pregnant and unmarried, which causes much friction between her and her mother Margret (Melissa Leo). Terry (Tom Guiry) is a violent, out-of-control menace who is about to end up in prison, or dead, which ever comes first. Desmond (Brendan Gleeson) is struggling to earn enough money for his family while drowning his sorrows in alcohol (one of which being a tragic secret). Margret is trying to save face by believing this family is "normal," which it is not. Caught in the middle of it all is Cole (Michael Angarano), who's merely trying to stay afloat.
Therein lies its problem. Movies that sacrifice plot for characters are not bad, provided that its characters are interesting enough and portrayed with good performances (which "Black Irish" is filled with). But Brad Gann doesn't see his movie that way (which is kind of surprising, seeing as he wrote and directed it). It seems as if he made the film to have some underlying story or theme to connect the stories (other than the fact that all of the principal characters are related). Problem is, there isn't any.
Not that this makes "Black Irish" a bad film. It's actually very good. Credit goes to Gann for creating a great sense of atmosphere, and knowing the meaning of the word "subtlety," and how to use it. Nothing is heavy-handed like a sledgehammer as in mainstream films, yet it's not infinitesimally subtle like some of those intellectual films on the opposite end of the spectrum. "Black Irish" is smack dab in the middle.
The performances are great all around. The best performances go to Michael Angarano and Brendan Gleeson. Angarano is perfect as the conflicted, young man who is our window into the McKay family. The subtlety in his performance matches perfectly with Gann's approach. Cole is our window into what's left of the McKay family. Angarano plays Cole not as a film character, but as a normal kid. It's not easy to do, and because (when done well) it is so like real life, the performances often go unrecognized. Brendan Gleeson is great, too. He shows more dramatic skill than he's been able to in other, more mainstream roles. Desmond is a man who has lost everything, but is trying to do what he can, even if that means sinking to levels that are just tragic. The scenes he shares with Angarano are some of the film's best; his discussions about the birds and the bees are laugh-out-loud hilarious (which is especially surprising since this is not a comedy). The other actors are great as well, especially Tom Guiry as the "out-of-control" Terry, whom everyone seems to have given up on. This is interesting because while this hurts Terry (but doesn't show this to anyone), he doesn't know how to stop his downward spiral. You know the mark of a talented actor if they can create a good performance out of an undeveloped character, which is the case with the other members of the family (minus Cole and Desmond), if only slightly.
"Black Irish" is a great film to watch, and it's a shame that it didn't get a wider distribution, because it's really a great movie. Imperfect, but still well worth a watch.
My rating: PG-13 for some language and a scene of brief violence.