In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Monday 22 January 2018

The Van (1996)

In an attempt to salvage some self-respect from their seemingly dead-end situation two unemployed men try their luck running a chip van. The vehicle they acquire would be called a fixer-upper by an optimistic fool, but in reality it's a shit-box on wheels. Their newfound sense of purpose is not without its pitfalls, things that won't be hidden by a lick of paint.
Colm Meaney and Donal O'Kelly are the two men in question. Neither of them knows what the hell they're doing, which leads to comedy, as you'd expect, but it lacks the spark of the previous two films in Doyle's Barrytown Trilogy.
The 1996 World Cup moments add a layer of comparative reflection to their changing fortunes, helping ensure that we understand that in life, as on the pitch, sometimes even a draw can be more than it seems.

2½ ransomed penguins out of 5

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