Waking Ned Devine (1998)

When a lottery winner dies of shock, his fellow townsfolk attempt to claim the money.

Director:

Kirk Jones

Writer:

Kirk Jones

Stars:

Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan

9 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ian Bannen	...	Jackie O'Shea
David Kelly	...	Michael O'Sullivan
Fionnula Flanagan	...	Annie O'Shea
Susan Lynch	...	Maggie O'Toole
James Nesbitt	...	Pig Finn
Paul Vaughan	...	Narrator (voice)
Adrian Robinson	...	Lotto Observer
Maura O'Malley	...	Mrs. Kennedy
Robert Hickey	...	Maurice O'Toole
Paddy Ward	...	Brendy O'Toole
James Ryland	...	Dennis Fitzgerald
Fintan McKeown	...	Pat Mulligan
Eileen Dromey	...	Lizzy Quinn
Kitty Fitzgerald	...	Kitty
Dermot Kerrigan	...	Father Patrick

Storyline

The lucky winner of the national lottery is Ned Devine, so taken by his good fortune that he now can't be waked, because he died from the shock of it! News of the win spread quickly in the scenic little Irish village of Tully More, but not the secret news of Ned's demise. With lottery officials closing in to confirm the prize claimed by the deceased Devine, Ned's closest friends scheme to keep the prize money close to home, in memory of Ned of course! But as the plot twists humorously, they learn it is hard is to keep such a secret in a small town.

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Plot Keywords:

lottery | village | small town | lottery ticket | dead body | 

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Taglines:

Finally, a comedy that will make you feel like a million bucks.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for nudity, language and thematic elements

Details

Country:

UK Ireland France USA

Language:

English Latin Irish

Release Date:

8 January 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Waking Ned Devine

Filming Locations:

Cregneash, Isle of Man

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$148,971, 22 November 1998

Gross USA:

$24,792,251

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$55,257,450

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tomboy Films, Gruber Bros, Mainstream S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A significant sleeper success, this earned over $50 million from a $3 million budget.

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Goofs

When Lizzy is calling the National Lottery from the phone booth, it is clearly visible that the entry in the yellow pages is in fact a cut-out piece of paper glued onto a different entry.

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Quotes

Michael O'Sullivan: [pretending to be Ned Devine] A big win is it?
Jim Kelly: Ned, you've won six million eight hundred and ninety four thousand, six hundred and twenty pounds. How does that make you feel? Take your time now, there's no rush. It's a great shock to the system I know. Just give yourself a moment to get used to the idea. So what do you think, Ned? Well it was a roll over week. The jackpot wasn't won last week, so they carried it over to this week, and you were the only winner. Were you aware of that, Ned?
Michael O'Sullivan: No.

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Crazy Credits

Catherine Rutter is thanked twice

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Memo to the Academy - 1999 (1999)

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Soundtracks

Fisherman's Blues
(1988)
Written by Mike Scott and Steve Wickham
Performed by The Waterboys
Published by Blue Mountain Music Ltd. and Dizzy Heights/Chrysalis Music Ltd.
Courtesy of Chrysalis Records Ltd.

User Reviews

A lovely Tale!

Fionnula Flanagan, Ian Bannen and David Kelly, are just a few of an excellent cast in this tale about an Irish Lotto-winner, who is unable to collect.

Never have I seen a lovelier yarn, and, I tell ye', I've seen a few! Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) figures out that one of the inhabitants in the local hamlet must have won the latest Lotto draw, and does he best to find out who, by every mean possible, and eventually finds out who.

I don't want to spoil it, but it sure is a lovely story! Very close to a masterpiece, and it gets better each time I see it!

Yours, Tord