The Van (1996)

Set in the fictional Dublin suburb of Barrytown, Bimbo is a baker who loses his job after being made redundant. Bimbo then acquires the help of his best friend, Larry, to set up a successful burger van.

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writers:

Roddy Doyle (novel), Roddy Doyle (screenplay)

Stars:

Colm Meaney, Donal O'Kelly, Ger Ryan

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colm Meaney	...	Larry
Donal O'Kelly	...	Bimbo
Ger Ryan	...	Maggie
Caroline Rothwell	...	Mary
Neilí Conroy	...	Diane
Rúaidhrí Conroy	...	Kevin
Brendan O'Carroll	...	Weslie
Stuart Dunne	...	Sam
Jack Lynch	...	Cancer
Laurie Morton	...	Maggie's Mum
Marie Mullen	...	Vera
Jon Kenny	...	Gerry McCarthy
Moses Rowen	...	Glenn
Linda McGovern	...	Jessica
Eoin Chaney	...	Wayne

Storyline

The third installment of Irish author Roddy Doyle's 'Barrytown Trilogy', following 'The Commitments' and 'The Snapper', depicts the hilarious yet poignant adventures of Bimbo. Upon being fired from his job at the bakery, Bimbo and his best mate go into business for themselves and purchase a chipper (a fish and chips van); but will the pressures of financial success sour their friendship forever?

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Plot Keywords:

exploitation | business | van | friendship | irish | 

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Taglines:

A large portion of life...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the third story in Roddy Doyle's "Barrytown Trilogy", following the adventures of the Rabbitte family. However, as 20th Century Fox owned the film rights to the Rabbitte name (from The Commitments), the characters had to be re-named in the subsequent film adaptations (The Snapper, The Van).

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Goofs

The movie is set during World Cup 1990, and on at least two occasions, the radio can be heard promoting 98FM. This station did not use this branding until the mid 1990s; it was called Classic Hits at the time.

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Quotes

Bimbo: [after sinking the van in the river] Mission accomplished.

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Alternate Versions

In the UK in 2007 a re-edited version was passed for certification for video release by the BBFC running at 92 minutes 50 seconds, some 3 minutes 55 seconds shorter than the normal theatrical version.

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Connections

Features The Snowman (1982)

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Soundtracks

Here We Go, Here We Go
Written by Tony Hiller/Harold Spiro
Published by State Music Ltd

User Reviews

Friendship and class struggle

This is the story of two men belonging to the the Irish working class who after being sacked decide to start a business with a van for making and selling hamburgers and the like stuff. After a while their mutual relationship turns into a boss-employee one and things began to become worse until because friendship is thicker than money they began again to get well along with each other. The story is told in a half serious half funny way. It's very simple but not the less deep because of that. It's full of amusing episodes and details of everyday life but its very true, authentic and realistic.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK Ireland USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 May 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Van

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,366, 18 May 1997

Gross USA:

$712,095

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$712,095

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beacon Communications, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Deadly Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1