Irish tale a craicing good comedy A Date For Mad Mary (M)
82 mins Mary (Seana Kerslake) and Charlene (Charleigh Bailey) used to be as thick as thieves, until the law finally caught up with one of them.
But having done her time for violent crime, ‘‘Mad’’ Mary McArdle’s first act out of prison is to be bridesmaid at her best friend’s wedding.
To her horror though, Charlene seems obsessed with her upcoming nuptials, and the more weddingrelated functions Mary attends, the more she feels like a fish out of water.
It’s a situation not helped when, sent to confirm the videographer, Mary finds that she’s double-booked. Then comes the kicker, Charlene hasn’t even allocated her a plus-one, so convinced is she that Mary is now ‘‘undateable’’.
Determined to prove her wrong, Mary signs on at the Cupid’s Arrow Dating Agency.
When asked what kind of man she wants, she has a simple answer. ‘‘One who is free on March 27.’’
Adapted from Yasmine Akram’s 2010 one-woman play 10 Dates With Mad Mary, Darren Thornton’s feature debut is a hilarious Irish rom-com filled with memorable moments.
From a cringe-worthy Mamma Miathemed hen’s do to Mary’s Gran’s withering assessment of her Mum, ‘‘A Sniper wouldn’t take you out’’, this Irish Bridesmaids-meets-Muriel’sWedding offers plenty of good craic during its slim, but satisfying running time.
Centre of all the shenanigans is a terrific performance from Kerslake (The Lobster).
A seemingly menacing yet really sensitive soul, her Mary reminds one of Toni Collette’s hapless Muriel Heslop crossed with a character out of a Ken Loach movie.
Like the film itself, she’s an anarchic wee gem. – James Croot