Run & Jump (2013)

An American doctor travels to Ireland to study the Casey family after 38-year-old Conor suffers a stroke which changes his personality, leaving dynamo wife and mother Vanetia to run the show.

Director:

Steph Green

Writers:

Ailbhe Keogan, Steph Green (co-writer)

Stars:

Maxine Peake, Edward MacLiam, Will Forte

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ciara Gallagher	...	Noni
Maxine Peake	...	Vanetia
Edward MacLiam	...	Conor
Will Forte	...	Ted
Ruth McCabe	...	Nora
Brendan Morris	...	Lenny
Sharon Horgan	...	Tara
Michael Harding	...	Paddy
Kelby Guilfoyle	...	Fergus
Ri Galway	...	Simon
Clare Barrett	...	Susan
Tim Landers	...	Coach Gary
Joseph Kelly	...	Old Man
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Diarmuid de Faoite	...	Declan

Storyline

Vanetia Casey (Maxine Peake), the spirited and impossibly optimistic center of the Casey family, is working hard to get life back to normal after her 38 year-old husband, Conor (Edward MacLiam), suffers a rare stroke which changes his personality. Tweedy American doctor, Ted Fielding, (Will Forte) arrives in Ireland to stay with them for two months: his research grant providing the Caseys with essential financial aid. Vanetia's a dynamo. But with two young kids and both men in the house, she's feeling bombarded and initially treats Ted and his study of Conor with resistance. Only when she observes Ted's calming influence on the family does she begin to value his friendship, and, in return, Ted enjoys their heady, happy-go-lucky world. But Ted's continued presence in the house sets the family on course for an emotional collision. Directed by Academy Award®-nominee Steph Green and featuring Saturday Night Live star Will Forte in an impressive dramatic debut, this life-affirming film ...

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Plot Keywords:

reference to doctor doolittle | birdfeeder | 38 year old | american | stroke | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Ireland Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 January 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

A megfigyelő

Filming Locations:

County Wicklow, Ireland

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,944, 26 January 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$8,243, 7 February 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samson Films,Bavaria Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

It was selected for both the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the Berlin Script Station in 2010.

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Soundtracks

Big Bird in a Small Cage
Written by Patrick Watson, Simon Angell, Robbie Kuster (as Robert Andrew Kuster), Mikhail Stein
Performed by Patrick Watson

User Reviews

Would've worked better with a simpler approach

An Irish family welcome home Conor, the husband and father who has recently suffered a life changing stroke. In tow is an American psychologist who is studying Conor's progress as he tries to settle back into the family life. It's not long before the American becomes the father figure himself and also begins to veer towards a deeper relationship with Vanetia, the wife.

For a film that clocks in at just over 1 hour 40 minutes this still felt rather long winded in places. Some of the dramatic scenes work well and the performances are perfectly OK, Edward MacLiam as Conor in particular impressing whereas Maxine Peake as his free-spirited wife struggles badly with the Irish accent which doesn't help.

It seems however there is too much thrown into the pot and in the end it becomes unnecessarily convoluted - we have the blossoming relationship between the wife and the psychologist, the struggles of the husband and wife, the son facing up to homosexuality, the suspicious father-in-law, the sister who's taken a shine to the American and so on. All this leaves it rather disjointed and had it just centred on the 3 way adult relationship dynamic it would've made for a much stronger film.

Not all bad but something of a mixed bag.