Film Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

The Commitments
Directed by Alan Parker
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 08/91 DVD/VHS Feature Film
R - language

Welcome to Dublin, Ireland, where the enterprising Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins) is assembling a working-class band to play American soul music. The audition brings a sampler of everything that's wild, weird, and wonderful about singers, musicians, and stagestruck dreamers. Thanks to the help of Joey "The Lips" Derek (Johnny Murphy), a veteran trumpet player, the new band called "The Commitments" forges ahead with practice sessions and a1few tentative early performances. The only problem is that the members of the group squabble and snap at each other as if they were an unruly family. The lead singer Deco (Andrew Strong) is a terrific vocalist but impossible to get along with.

Alan Parker, who directed Fame, is at the helm of this delightful film about the different seasons in the life of a band. The Commitments is a full-steam-ahead cinematic triumph propelled by the raw energy of a talented cast and the vibrancy of a dozen soul classics including songs by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Al Green.

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by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat