Sing along to the classics (The Commitments (DVD))

Member Name: sympatic

Product:	The Commitments (DVD)
Date:	03/05/09 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny, great soundtrack and super plot

Disadvantages: None

Reading a review on the site yesterday inspired me to watch this film again as it is such a funny and enjoyable film to watch, I used to have the soundtrack as well as it has some brilliant northern soul tracks on it but I have no idea where it is these days, fortunately the DVD was accessible.

It tells the story of a bunch of young people in Dublin who form a band in order to enjoy some success, the main character Jimmy Rabbitte played by Robert Arkins has no musical ability but aspires to be the manager and it is his vision that brings the band together. Living in a poor area of Dublin the audition scenes where people turn up to his house much to the disgust of his Elvis loving Dad is just hilarious.

The moivation for some of the band members is a bit mixed however the band enjoy some early success thanks to the singing talents of a bus conductor called Deco played by Andrew Strong wo has a superb voice however he is also a total pig and his ego soon gets in the way as does other petty squabbles as one older member of the band spreads the love amongst the backing singers a bit too much.

This film has a number of strengths, firstly it is very funny indeed, there are both verbal and visual gags to enjoy andthere is a dryness about the humour that I really enjoyed. Secondly it has a superb soul inspired soundtrack with the band performing live at concerts, they have a powerful sound and the live scenes are excellent. Finally there are some superb performances to enjoy and a wonderfully crafted plot thanks to the book by Roddy Doyle from which the film comes.

A film to enjoy however there is a lot of swearing so maybe not for younger viewers.

Summary: Superb film