IMDb user comments for
Closing the Ring (2007) More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 2:

[1] [2]

Index

18 comments in total

---

25 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :-
closing the ring, 22 October 2007

Author: Chris Clazie (c.clazie@britac.ac.uk) from United Kingdom

I saw this movie at the London Film Festival yesterday.It is an incredibly old fashioned piece of film-making that at times seems very contrived and manipulative,but it does contain genuine emotion and a story that keeps you watching from beginning to end.Some of the acting(especially from the 1941 period)is patchy,but in the 1991 period of the film,MacLaine is great,so is Postlewaite but the film is stolen by young Martin McCann as the naive Jimmy Reilly,who is responsible for piecing the lives together of the characters separated by time and oceans.After the showing,Lord Attenborough appeared for a short Q&A and gave us some insight into the making of the film and announced the film will receive it's premiere in Ireland and will be released nationwide on the 28th Dec.My guess is for anyone who has an elderly relative to catch up with over the Christmas period,and wants to take them out,then see this movie.They will love it and you might possibly get hooked.The audience yesterday obviously were.

---

29 out of 43 people found the following comment useful :-
Lord Attenborough does a chick flick, 16 September 2007

Author: Needfire from Toronto

I must hand it to Lord Attenborough who is attempting a chick flick to keep up with the times. Can anyone else attract the level of talent in the film: Christopher Plummer, Shirley Maclaine, Neve Campbell, Mischa Barton? The story has great promise. It opens with the funeral of a young woman's beloved daughter who is delivering her eulogy to a church full of veterans who knew and loved her father. Her mother, on the other hand, is sitting out on the church porch, smoking and nursing a hangover.

What develops from this story shows us a time when this mother was young, lively, and optimistic. She is in love with a young farmer who must go off to war. They always go out with two friends who are the best buds a guy could have.

The movie is also interspersed with a story that takes place in Belfast. You know that at some point, the film will have to knit these two elements together. There are numerous light moments to offset the darker experiences of love and loss during war. Ethel Ann (Maclaine)has loved well and was always loved but she is too self-involved to understand that she has used her own tragedies to punctuate her relationship with her daughter (Campbell).

Some of the younger actors in this are Canadian talent. I hope that this film gives them the exposure that they need to continue making their way up the talent ladder. David Alpay from Slings and Arrows is terrific as is Allan Hawco. I wanted to see more of them and less of Mischa Barton whose acting is wooden at the best of times.

At the Toronto Film Festival screening yesterday, the projector had a hiccup during the sow. Stephen Amell who plays Teddy got onto the stage and had an impromptu Q&A to save the day. It was fascinating to hear how he was cast and what kind of experience an actor has when they work with Richard Attenborough.

---

11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Older audiences will understand this film., 4 September 2008

Author: malcolmi from Kingston, Ontario

The story of love lost to death during the second world war will never be tiresome for anyone whose family was touched by the war. The question is, can writers and actors still make the story real? For those of us in the audience tonight at The Screening Room in Kingston, watching Closing the Ring, the answer was a very satisfying 'yes'. Young actors were able to create the unselfconscious optimism and sense of honour of their 1940s counterparts heading off to war; the older cast members knew exactly how to portray the knowledge, understanding, and forgiveness that the present-day characters had learnt from their wartime experience, and kept in with such punishing self-control. If you don't like this film, I suspect you're under thirty. I'd suggest you prepare to discover its truth, and its very fine acting, in your later age. And be thankful if you're not on the verge of great loss in your youth. But then our soldiers are fighting and dying overseas as I write; perhaps young Ethel Anns and Teddys are making promises to each other at this very moment. In that case, open yourself to the possibility that this story might be about to unfold in your own life, even as you reject its apparent unreality.

---

8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
The Ring Brings Closure, 14 July 2008
Author: The_Discolored_Chameleon from Fraggle Rock

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Richard Attenborough's 'Closing The Ring' has quite an unusual cast. I never thought I'd see Shirley MacClaine, Christopher Plummer, Neve Campbell, Pete Postlethwaite and Mischa Barton in one film. The story feels a little contrived and I thought that Attenborough could have developed parts of the plot. For example, how does Ethel Ann resolve her relationship with her almost estranged daughter? Perhaps, it's for the viewer to assume that things went well. Nonetheless, I would have liked to see it. The film shifts back and forth from America to Ireland giving us some beautiful landscape shots of both countries. Attenborough does try to tackle different themes next to the main story and portrays the cultural side of both countries very well (especially the cultural difference between the pubs of Ireland and bars of America). The soundtrack is quite likable as it takes us back in time. Mischa Barton surprisingly delivers a decent performance. I've never liked her TV work but here she's not bad. Likewise with Christopher Plummer. Brenda Fricker has a tiny role but her presence is effective. Allan Hawco does well with what he's given. Pete Postlethwaite is brilliant as usual. Neve Campbell too does a wonderful job. It's been a while since I've seen her work and I liked what I saw. Martin McCann is a delight to watch. He delivers a very natural and humorous performance as Jimmy. 'Closing The Ring', in the end, belongs to Shirley MacClaine. Her character is difficult to sympathise with, especially because of her coldness towards her daughter and husband but at the same time her pain and loneliness is felt. Her Ethel Ann finally gets the closure she needed with the ring and, in the end, thanks to MacClaine's portrayal, one can only feel joy for Ann as she begins to live. On the whole, 'Closing the Ring' has an engaging story, fine acting by an unusual ensemble and refreshing visuals (of the landscapes). Perhaps one can take an elderly relative to watch this film but it also makes for a good date movie.

---

18 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
Another Richard Attenborough Triumph!, 1 January 2008

Author: kentkarenm from United Kingdom

Superb acting, phenomenal directing - I was hooked from the very start of the film. Cannot wait for it to come out on DVD as I will watch it over and over again!!

You can actually "feel" the love involved with all of the young friends, the support they give to each other is second to none. I would hope to have at least one friend who could make me feel the same way.

Neve Campbell is a very versatile actress. She is such a believable "girl next door". You feel you could meet up with her and just chat to her as a person. She is a very emotive person, no matter how much a part she has, you want her to become the "winner".

Shirley MacLaine is, as usual, such a powerful actress and Christopher Plummer is one of my all time favourites. The mix of actors/actresses has really been considered. It felt like I was watching a documentary (meant in the best possible way)as I could have been a fly on the wall participating in the storyline.

---

6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
A Nutshell Review: Closing The Ring, 28 September 2008

Author: DICK STEEL from Singapore

Never make promises you can't fulfill, otherwise you'll find that nagging feeling coming back to haunt you, and it can be quite uncomfortable, unless of course it doesn't bother you as far as integrity and trustworthiness are concerned. Then again there's the living a lie, of not being true to yourself, which sometimes can be tricky when it deals with affairs of the heart, where ignorance may be bliss.

Closing the Ring throws its hat into the WWII era inspired romance stories, where boys turn into men, and have to leave their lady love behind at home while they ship off to the warfront. With events that unfold across two different continents, and unfolding between two different timelines with the necessary flash backs, flash forwards, and nicely edited transitions, the movie isn't that bad although the story might be at times clichéd.

Jack (Gregory Smith), Chuck (David Alpay) and Teddy (Stephen Amell) are three buddies who join the air force, and are training to be pilots, navigators and gunners, whatever it takes to bring them to the skies. Mischa Barton stars as young Ethel Ann who's the flower amongst the group, but only having romantic feelings for Teddy, whom she married in secret before the trio got shipped away to join the war.

That's the arc of the past, where we see how their relationship with one another hold up during mankind's darkest hour. The arc of the present has Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer take up the senior roles of Ethel Ann and Jack respectively, and on the other side of the continent in Northern Ireland, we follow Michael Quinlan (Pete Postlethwaite) and Jimmy Reilly (Martin McCann), where the latter is a simple minded teen helping the former fireman dig around Black Mountain in search of something of value.

I guess by now you can piece together a little bit of what could possibly happen, and added to the fray is the IRA's struggle for independence in 1991. Characters interact by crossing continents, mysteries and confirmation of what happened during those faithful and pivotal moments in WWII get revealed and explained, and feelings slowly get revealed, demolishing some long held denial and unawareness. Although given what would transpire, you wonder if it's remotely possible to pine for someone for so long, or to lock away your heart so cruelly that you shut off affections even for your own child.

It's still an enjoyable movie, though not exactly a great one but it does get to its point quickly. You might find yourself being a step ahead of the characters and piece together all the information provided way in advance, but still, if you'd enjoyed movies like Atonement and Evening, then you wouldn't find this that bad at all. Oh, and the English subtitles did help in deciphering some thick Irish accent.

---

2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
I will always love you, Teddy. I'll be yours until the day I die, I swear it., 20 May 2009

Author: lastliberal from Florida

For the life of me, I cannot figure how this got in my queue. I almost sent it back without watching, but there must have been a reason I put it there.

Yes, Sir Richard Attenborough has made a lot of good films (Ghandi, Cry Freedom, Chaplain). Maybe this will be one of them. There are a lot of good actors here: Christopher Plummer, Neve Campbell, and Pete Postlethwaite, to name a few.

Maybe it was to see Mischa Barton ("The O.C."), who played Shirley MacLaine's character as a young girl. We got a nice view when she was getting it on with Teddy (Stephen Amell). We get a full view later on when he is leaving for gunnery school.

The story takes place in the present, when Ethel Ann (Shirley MacLaine) has just buried Chuck (David Alpay), and 50 years prior at the dawn of WWII, when Chucck and Teddy (Stephen Amell) were heading off to war.

A young boy (Martin McCann) has just found a rind belonging to Teddy and Ethel Ann at a B-17 crash site that Quinlan (Pete Postlethwaite) has been digging up. He has to get away from the IRA, so he brings it to America.

Ethel Ann goes back with him to Belfast and finds love for the first time in 50 years.

It was an excellent story. I was surprised, thinking it would be a Lifetime special, but the actors in it made it special.

---

3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Wonderful movie, 26 October 2008

Author: sapper-6 from Australia

Wonderful movie with absolutely brilliant actors and very realistic settings. A must to add to anyone's DVD library. It is a typical Richard Attenborough movie with great attention to detail and accuracy similar to his excellent movie 'A Bridge To Far'. In a number of ways this movie is identical to the 1950s movie 'The Key' starring William Holden, Sofia Loren, Trevor Howard and Bernard Miles and a very young Michael Caine. Instead of aircrew and aircrafts in WW2, it was Royal Navy ocean going rescue tugs and naval reserve officers in the Atlantic in WW2. And the woman (Sofia Loren) being passed from one lover to the next. Instead of a ring it was the key to her flat.

---

3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
extraordinary, 1 September 2008

Author: Evren Buyruk from United States

Superb acting, phenomenal directing - I was hooked from the very start of the film. Cannot wait for it to come out on DVD as I will watch it over and over again!! You can actually "feel" the love involved with all of the young friends, the support they give to each other is second to none. I would hope to have at least one friend who could make me feel the same way.

Neve Campbell is a very versatile actress. She is such a believable "girl next door". You feel you could meet up with her and just chat to her as a person. She is a very emotive person, no matter how much a part she has, you want her to become the "winner".

Shirley MacLaine is, as usual, such a powerful actress and Christopher Plummer is one of my all time favorites. The mix of actors/actresses has really been considered. It felt like I was watching a documentary (meant in the best possible way)as I could have been a fly on the wall participating in the storyline.Evren Buyruk from USA

---

2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
A Nice Film, that deserved more, 14 February 2009

Author: wolfee37 from Canada

The film opens in 1991, with the funeral of a former World War II veteran. The man's daughter Marie (Neve Campbell) delivers the eulogy to a church full of veterans who knew and loved her father, while her mother Ethel Ann (Shirley MacLaine) is sitting out on the church porch, smoking and nursing a hangover. When Ethel Ann begins acting strangely, only her friend Jack (Christopher Plummer) seems to understand why. It quickly emerges that there is a lot Marie does not know about her mother's past and the true story of her love life.

The movie flips to a time when this mother was young, lively, and optimistic (young Ethel Ann played by Mischa Barton). She is in love with a young farmer, Teddy Gordon (played by Canadian new comer Stephen Amell), who goes off to war with his best friends Jack (Gregory Smith) and Chuck (David Alpay), but not all of them make it back alive. The plot lines intertwine with the story of a young Ulsterman in Belfast who finds a ring in the wreckage of a crashed B-17 and is determined to return it to the woman who once owned it.

Closing the Ring got a lot of mixed reviews when it came out in England in Early 2008. But as a fan of a lot of the actors and director I wanted to see the film (usually not into Romance movies), and tried to keep up with updates on the a films release in Canada. Luckily for me while I was in Toronto, this film was released in theaters with little promotion beforehand, with the expect ion of ET playing a 30 second clip. I decided it was fate for me to see this movie, as it was the only place in Canada where it was playing.

I went with my family and we all enjoyed it. The film did have flaws, a sub plot involving the IRA confused the already busy plot, and Stephaen Arnell who played the gorgeous Mischa Barton's love interest gave a WEAK performance. Usually when an actor gives a bad performance it can ruin a movie, especially with a role as important as his, and surprisingly Barton is able to still act off of him.

Shirley MacClaine, Christopher Plummer, and Neve Campbell all work well of each other in their scenes. While scene stealer's Academy Award Winner Brenda Fricker and unknown actor Martin McCann light up the screen when they were on. Pete Postlethwaite was also very good as the grumpy Irishman Quinlan, but just like the IRA plot, scenes with the young version of him were unesscsesary. Gregory Smith is good and David Alphy does what he can with his nothing role. But the heart of the film is really Mischa Barton. SHe is just adorable, and as a fan of her earlier films (she was also stiff in her TV work), it was nice see her give a great performance, because people have labeled her a bad actress just because of "The OC" and it is too bad the film didn't get a wider release because this is her breakout role, she is wonderful.

All in all, a light film with nice performances and a great score. Great for older and younger audiences. Why did it not get a wide release!?

---

---

Page 1 of 2:

[1] [2]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Ratings	Awards
External reviews	Official site	Plot keywords
Main details	Your user comments	Your vote history