Cut Loose That Footloose Villain!

Don your legwarmers! Fluff your hair! Turn up your radio! It's 80's Dance Party!

Or not.

At least not in the small Midwestern town to where teen aged Ren (Kevin Bacon) has relocated from Chicago. Dancing has been banned by the one and only pastor (John Lithgow) who has taken it upon himself to be the moral voice of reason for every family in his flock.

We're talking about the movie Footloose. I watched the 1984 rerun for the first time in at least twenty years the other night. The music had my feet stompin' and had I not been in my mother's tiny senior apartment, I may have cut loose. Now, if I can silence the title song from my head long enough to write this article, I'll continue.

While much of this movie is silly, the writers did do something right with the characters. They gave them depth, which in our world translates to believability.

We believe that Ren is tired of being labeled the "bad boy" simply because of where he's from. We believe the PK (preacher's kid) Ariel, played by Lori Singer, is a deeply troubled young woman because of her strict upbringing. And we believe that Reverend Shaw Moore wants to save the rebellious youth in his town. And why? Because his son was killed after a night of drinking and dancing.

Rev. Moore is the major antagonist in this story. The writers didn't do the typical thing and made him strict because of his religious beliefs alone. They upped his conflict in the back story. Rev. Moore lost a child due to the very thing he now opposes. And that gives his character depth.

When we create our villains, it is so important not to make them Disney cartoons. That worked for Walt but it won't work for us. All of our characters need a reason to do the things they do. A good reason. Not just because they're inherently wicked, but because something has happened in their past to make them that way. And even more importantly, they need to think that what they're doing is the right thing. Rev. Moore sincerely thought it was his calling, no, his duty to protect the young people in his town and keep each and every one of them from suffering the same fate as his son. This made his cause noble, if not a little misplaced.

So, to recap, give your antagonists depth by giving them a reason for what they do, and give them a noble cause that is only noble in their own minds. That will make them believable and entertaining enough for the readers to keep turning those pages.

EVERYBODY SING!

Tonight we're gonna cut loose

Footloose

Kick off your Sunday shoes

Please, Louise

pull me off a my knees

Jack, get back

C'mon before we crack

Lose your blues

Everybody cut footloose

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

Hubby and I are sitting here watching the greatest summer movie of all time, The Greatest Show On Earth with Charleton Heston, Jimmy Stewart, Betty Hutton, and Cornel Wilde.

Because I can't just watch a movie anymore--I have to analyze it--I ask hubby who he thinks is the main character. By now, he just rolls with my craft obsession. We launch into an intense discussion about this and several more movies of which that question needs to be asked.

Regarding the movie of topic, I listed the four mains above, but they each have strong storylines, each have plenty to lose--the criteria for knowing who the main character is.

Heston is the owner of the circus. A lot happens under the big top, and he's responsible for it all. What about Stewart? He plays a clown who hides under his makeup. He's a doctor who is responsible for the death of a patient. And Hutton? She fights for the center ring and finally gets it because of a fallen comrad. Her guilt eats away at her. Wilde has an accident. Is his trapeze career over? But above all four main characters, there is one that I haven't mentioned yet.

Or have I?

Take the movie, Twister, another summer fave. A romantic story between Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton ensues. One would think they share top billing. But do they? Maybe the main character is someone different entirely. Yes, I have mentioned that character.

What about Showboat? There are a lot of characters in that story. Who is the main character? Or The Alamo? Rich history (although somewhat inaccurate) is told through the characters, but the Texas mission itself is the primary one we care the most about.

May I suggest that the question isn't WHO is the main character in each of these stories, but WHAT?

Midway, a WWII movie with a slew of characters and storylines, was actually about the island, Midway, and the battles fought over it for control. The Japanese wanted it to launch attacks from, the Americans owned it, and defended it to keep that from happening. In this case, the island has the most to lose.

Yes, I'm suggesting that the main character need not be human. I'm sure you can think of several movies where you aren't sure who the main character is. In that case, perhaps the backdrop holds that honor.

In Twister, the backdrop is the storms and finally, that one F5 that nearly takes the characters lives, but actually leads Hunt and Paxton to success in their research for an early warning system. As such, the tornado loses its punch because it "knows" it can no longer surprise people in the middle of the night. That final twister is the main character.

And in The Greatest Show On Earth, the circus is the main character. In the final scene, it is crippled from a train wreck. Will the show go on? The circus breathes life and the characters under its canvas are its heartbeat. And to bring that point home, the boss man, Heston, is accused of having sawdust in his veins.

Here's something else to ponder. Could the main character be something that isn't tangible? An ideal perhaps. Take Journey to the Center of the Earth. Could the main character be the journey itself? Or is that just the backdrop? Does the journey have the most to lose? Hm. Perhaps not. What about The Hunt for Red October? A Russian submarine captain defects, taking the Red October with him. Now the US and the Russians are hunting for it. Is the sub the main character, or the hunt for the sub? The title suggests the latter. That hunt is what drives the movie. It is important for both parties to be the first to find the sub. I suggest that the Hunt is the main character.

We are now taught that you must have one character for the readers to identify with. Some storylines call for a plethora of characters and plots. Yes, by today's standards, we may have to comply and showcase actual people, especially the new author. But once you're seasoned, and really know what you're doing, it would be great to see stories where the backdrops take center stage.

As you think about writing that breakout novel, remember to create a strong backdrop. Make it a character in itself, and maybe, it will steal the spotlight. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Consider the following movies, (which hubby helped me compile) and decide for yourself. Is the title character the main, or is it simply the backdrop?

The African Queen

The Poseidon Adventure

The Titanic

Stage Coach

The War Wagon

Air Force One

Towering Inferno

Cliffhanger

Apollo 13

The Rock

Narnia

42nd Street

New York, New York

Chicago

Oklahoma

Gettysburg

Tombstone

South Pacific

Jewel of the Nile

Police Academy

Back Draft

Big Trouble in Little China

Brigadoon

Murder on the Orient Express

Holiday Inn

Gunfight at the OK Corral

How the West Was Won

Royal Wedding

The Great Race

The Great Escape

Stalag 13

The Guns of Navarone

The Bridge over the River Kwai

The television shows:
Gilligan's Island
The Love Boat
Fantasy Island
Hotel

The Proposal - My Review

I saw The Proposal tonight. Sandra Bullock is back! She's so funny, and has the ability to do drama. Her characters show depth, and that's why she's my fave female actress. The male protagonist, Ryan Reynolds, also proved himself as a fine actor, able to play humor with realism that endeared me to him with every passing minute of this movie.

I strive to write like that. Sprinkle in the humor, but give my characters depth. I write sweet romances, but that doesn't mean my characters can't have real issues. In Merely Players, (now available in the 3-in-1 Florida Weddings available here,) my hero was abused by his father. This shaped him into the adult he became, one more comfortable playing a role than being himself. In my next book, God Gave the Song, (available in November 2009 through Barbour Publishing's Heartsong Presents,) my hero was abandonded by his hippie mother. And in my current work in progress, Crossroads Bay, my heroine needs to save face, proving her father wasn't crazy for chasing his dream.

In all three stories, I've added giggles here and there, but hopefully I haven't missed the real issues, and the spiritual struggles that round out real-life situations.

As Rachel Hauck mentioned in the previous post, The Proposal is well worth seeing. If you'd like to learn how to write funny with depth, this is the movie to watch. Each character had reasons for being the way they were. And the writers brought that out in natural ways.

Disclaimer for my "family friendly" readers: Do beware that there is a partial nude scene between Bullock and Reynolds. Nothing is seen, and it is totally hilarious, but I thought the director let it go a tad too long to the point of gratuitousness. Is that a word? It is now. Because of that, this movie gets 4 out of 5 stars from me.

The Proposal - Guest Author, Rachel Hauck

This week, guest author Rachel Hauck will give a craft review of the new summer movie, The Proposal. I met Rachel in 2002 at the first national conference for American Christian Romance Writers, (now called American Christian Fiction Writers.) She has served in that organization as worship leader, president and now as adviser, and has never lost her sweet, humble spirit. She has since authored some terrific novels, the latest -- Love Starts With Elle.

Rachel wrote the following post to our ACFW loop and I quickly snarfed it up for this blog. I haven't had a chance to see this movie, yet. My husband and I usually reserve the theater for blockbusters, like Star Trek. But I've heard so many terrific things about it, we may have to break that rule. I'm not sure I can wait for it to come out on DVD.

And now, Rachel:

I just saw The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. It was a great movie. There were a few cliche scenes, but the director made them work well for Sandra's character and the setting.

Otherwise, this was a GREAT movie for dialog, pacing and how to raise the stakes. What starts out as a ridiculous set up -- she's a publisher from Canada about to be deported because she violated her green card status, and he's her exec assistant working his tail off to become an editor.

So she pretends they are getting married so she won't be deported. Why would he go along with this? He hates her! But the screenwriter wisely raised the stakes for him, and brilliantly. Lots of times we see stupid reason for raising stakes: she's going to tell he dated the bosses daughter... Big deal.

But the stakes are real, and believable. This is a great movie to discover how to raise the stakes, both private and public.

The dialog was also fantastic. In one scene, Drew and Margaret are quietly arguing and he wants to reminder of what kind of hard woman she is and instead of doing the typical name calling or using the B-word, he says, "you're going to have to quit eating children while they're dreaming."

I loved that line. Why? Because it shows how hard she is and how he perceives her. She's a dream killer for her own gain. Best of all, it was utterly unique. I love dialog and struggle to get unique lines sometimes, but this has inspired me to think and dig deeper!

Best of all the chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds was great. We should strive for that among our protags!

Thanks, Rachel, for the great review and writing tips. Folks, Rachel has a wonderful service for writers called My Book Therapy. She knows her stuff!

Summer Movies Fresh Out of the Gate

I've been to see one summer release already, Star Trek in IMAX. All I can say is, WOW! Okay, I can say a whole lot more than that.

As one who remembers the original series before it became reruns, I worried that this movie would mess with my icons. I feared the same thing with last year's summer blockbuster, Get Smart starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway. Both Get Smart and Star Trek honored the original series, as well as punched up the stories for the big screen.

The casting was perfect with Chris Pine (Princess Diaries 2) as Kirk and Zachary Quinto (Heroes) as Spock. I'm so glad Quinto played this role because after watching Heroes, I was having nightmare with his character, Sylar, showing up and slitting the tops of heads. If I was dreaming and Sylar showed up, I think, "Oh, crumb!" Now, I'll just turn him into Spock if he suddenly appears. (But I digress.)

The other iconic characters were also well cast, particularly Dr. McCoy played by Karl Urban. From his opening line off camera--"I don't need a doctor. I am a doctor, damn it!"--we knew we were going to like this young Bones.

I also liked Uhura, played by Zoe Saldana, who refused to give her name to Kirk. This, according to the IMDB site under "Trivia" was a tribute to the character on the series who never had a first name. (Check out the trivia site after you watch the movie. It's fun to see how director J.J. Abrams and his team honored those responsible for all of the original series and movies.)

From a writing standpoint, the back story for the two main characters worked very well. We know why each man is the way he is--what makes Kirk a rebel and Spock...well...Spock. If you must write back story, watch this movie to see how it's done. Also, the movie followed the character arcs of both Kirk and Spock well, leaving plenty of room for growth. Could a new Star Trek franchise be in the works?

I sincerely hope so.

For another review of Star Trek and its competition, Up, go to the blog, Musings on This, That, and the Other Thing by Jennifer AlLee titled, Summer at the Movies: Action, Laughs, and a Bunch of Kleenex

I hope to see more summer releases soon. Up and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian are next on my list. Watch for more reviews.

Ever After

But What Does She Really Want?

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down, (nod to Karen Carpenter,) unless I have a library of fave DVDs to pass the time.

My very most favorite movie of all time (could I be any more emphatic?) is Ever After with Drew Barrymore and Dougray Scott. When I first saw this movie in the theater I was going through a very emotional time. My father was dying. To give my mom more time alone with him, my sister and I would go on errands or hit the theater occasionally. I don't know if that's why this movie holds such a special place in my heart, or if it's all the wonderful writer craft things that it has going for it, or if it's Dougray. Probably all three.

This movie is the "true" story of Cinderella. There are no singing mice, pumpkins, nor fairy godmothers. No magic, and no Bippity-Boppity-Boo. It starts out with the Grimm brothers riding in a carriage and entering an impressive castle in France. It seems they were summoned by the great, great granddaughter of Danielle De Babarac, nicknamed Cinderella by her deliciously wicked step-sister, Marguerite. The purpose: to inform them that the story they've written, while it is true, did not happen the way they depicted. The closing line of the movie is the Grand Dame informing them, "And while Cinderella and her Prince did live happily ever after, the point, gentlemen, is that they lived."

GMC
For this movie, I'd like to look at GMC, or Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. If you haven't heard of this all important fiction tool, please buy GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict by Debra Dixon. When writing our stories, we want to know what our characters want, their external goal, and what they really want, their internal goal. For this movie, I want to look specifically at the internal goal. I watched this movie a dozen times before it hit me that Barrymore's character, Danielle De Barbarac (Cinderella,) answers perfectly the question, "What does she really want?"

In this article, as I synopsize the story, I'm going to show two threads, the romantic and the family issue. By the end, I'll reveal what Danielle's goal really is.

FAMILY:
When the Grand Dame begins telling the tell, the scene opens with Danielle as a young girl. She loves her father who has been on a long trip. He has brought her home a book, Utopia, for his daughter who reads voraciously. (I like her already!) He has also brought home a wife and two step-daughters. Danielle, who has been motherless for a long time, is very excited to meet her new mother, the Baronness Rodmilla De Ghent, played by the fabulous Anjelica Huston, and sisters, Marguerite and Jaqueline. But when her father dies, the Baronness turns ugly. She treats Danielle like a servant in her own home.

ROMANTIC:
Danielle, now grown up, one day sees Prince Henry on her father's horse, (he's a discontented prince who does not wish to be king, so he ran away,) and mistakes him for a thief. She pummels him with apples, but drops to her knees the moment she recognizes him. He takes her for a country girl and dismisses the meeting. The next time they meet, she is disguised as a courtier to free her elderly servant, a man whom the baroness allowed to be taken to pay off one of her many debts. Now, Henry is captivated by the mysterious girl who tries to avoid his attention. This fascinates him since most courtiers throw themselves at the handsome and eligible prince.

FAMILY:
Prince Henry has brought back the horse and mentioned to the baronness the country girl he'd seen. Now the baronness knows that Danielle saw the prince and didn't tell her he had the horse. She slams Danielle into a chair and rails on her about deceitfulness. When Danielle claims that she didn't recognize him, step-mother becomes patronizing. The poor servant girl wouldn't know the prince when she saw him, would she? Danielle has dodged a bullet because she is underestimated.

ROMANTIC:
The third time they meet, she is swimming and is startled by Leonardo Di Vinci, who is walking on water with one of his inventions. (He has been commissioned to paint in the castle, and becomes Henry's confidant.) The prince waits on shore. Danielle must keep up the pretense of a courtier to avoid getting thrown in prison for impersonation. Not a problem, because really, how many more times can she accidentally meet this guy?

FAMILY:
It's night and Danielle is brushing the baronness's hair. They have an almost tender moment where baronness talks about her own mother and how hard she was on her. We get a glimpse of why she's the way she is. Then, she gently pulls Danielle in front of her and and says, "Pity you never knew your mother. There must be some of her in you somewhere." Danielle says she wishes she could remember her, and baronness tells her not to dwell on the things she cannot change. Then, again with uncharacteristic tenderness says, "You have so much of your father in you, I can almost see him looking out from your eyes." Danielle, clearly pleased: "Really?" Baroness: "Yes, well, your features are so masculine. And, to be raised by a man, no wonder you're built for hard labor." Danielle: "Did you love my father?" Baronness, with a sad expression: "I barely knew him...now, go away, I'm tired." And the moment is gone.

ROMANTIC:
The next time Henry shows up unannounced, Danielle hides behind a haystack as her best friend, Gustave, "helps." He tells the prince she's staying with a cousin and gives Danielle's address. He's now aiding and abetting. She has to hoof it the house before the prince gets there. She quickly changes into her courtier clothes and greets him at the door. He convinces her to come with him to a library at the monestery. At the library, she shares her political views, which, strangely enough, come straight from her favorite book, Utopia. She makes the spoiled prince think about his life.

On the way home, their carriage breaks down, and while Henry's footman goes for help, Danielle decides to walk, being the sturdy girl that she is. They get lost, and she shinnies up a tree to see if she can see the castle. While up there, Henry is accosted by a band of gypsies, and Danielle hurries down in her underthings (she took off her dress so it wouldn't get ruined,) to save her dress from the head gypsy who wants it for his wife, and ultimately to save Henry. The leader of the gypsies says she can take anything she can carry. Instead of the dress, she heads for Henry, pulls him over her shoulder and begins to walk away. This endears her to the gypsies, and she's made friends for life.

Danielle and Henry hang out with the gypsies, and while still discussing matters of great importance, have their first kiss.

FAMILY:
The next morning, the baronness is livid. Danielle has been out all night, and now she's acting strangely, telling them to fix their own breakfasts. To spite her, the wicked step-mother, who had previously deceived her into thinking she was going to the masked ball, now is allowing Marguerite to wear Danielle's mother's dress and beautiful silver slippers. Danielle reminds them that these are her mother's things, and Marguerite cattily responds, "Yes, and she's dead." Danielle snaps and slugs her step-sister in the eye. She then proceeds to chase her through the house until Marguerite threatens to throw her favorite book into the fire. "The shoes for the book," baronness tells her. She makes the difficult decision to hand over the shoes, but Marguerite throws the book into the fire anyway and step-mother blocks her way to save it. Now, she's lost her mother's things and her father's books. And, she's in for a sound lashing.

ROMANTIC:
She meets the prince the next day at the ruins with the intention of telling him who she really is, but finds she can't because he's being so...charming. She simply tells him that last night was the happiest night of her life. He kisses her, but when he pulls her into a hug, she cries out for the raw lash marks on her back, then she runs out.

FAMILY:
Meanwhile, the baronness has found out that Danielle has been impersonating her mother as a courtier and disappearing with the prince. She confronts her and asks where the gown and the slippers are. Danielle says, "Where the candlesticks and the trapesties and the silver are. Maybe the dress is with them." She then delivers one of the best lines in the movie. "I would rather die a thousand deaths than to see my mother's dress on that spoiled, selfish cow." Step-mother: "Perhaps we can arrange that." She locks Danielle in the cellar and threatens the servants not to let her out.

ROMANTIC:
The night of the ball, Gustave tells Di Vinci what's happened. He comes and opens the door with a couple of whacks to the bolts. Then, he becomes Danielle's fairy godmother by inventing beautiful wings to go with her mother's dress that has mysteriously reappeared. She makes it late to the ball and takes the prince's breath away. But baronness accosts her before she can explain to Henry who she really is. With a torn wing, she admits to the prince that she is an imposter and a servant girl. Henry now believes she's just like all the other girls. She runs away, falling and leaving her silver shoe behind, and Henry sulks outside. Di Vinci asks him what he's done, and tells the prince that he doesn't deserve her.

FAMILY:
Danielle is back to being the servant girl and is outside doing chores. Baronness joins her and twists the knife a little more. She says, "I have it on good authority that before your embarrassing expidition, the prince was about to announce that Marguerite is to be his bride." After more digs, Danielle says, "Don't you understand? You've won. Go move into your palace and leave us be!" Step-mother: "You are not my problem anymore." Danielle: "Is that what I am? Your problem? I have done everything you ever asked, and still you deny me the only thing I ever wanted." Step-mother: "And what was that?" Danielle: "What do you think? You are the only mother I have ever known. Was there a time, even in it's smallest measurement, that you loved me at all?" Step-mother: "How can anyone love a pebble in their shoe?" This seems to be what breaks Danielle.

So, we've finally gotten to it. What was Danielle's goal, what she really wanted deep down? To win the prince? To move her evil step-family out so she and the servants could live in peace? No. It was to be loved by the only mother she ever knew. How tragic that the baronness couldn't see past her conniving, evil heart to give a little girl love.

I won't leave you at this sad moment though.

FAMILY:
Suddenly, all of the things missing from the house are brought back by the evil Pierre Le Pieu, who has had a "thing" for Danielle. The baronness had sold him all the things from the house to feed her mismanagement skills. And now, she's buying it all back, and using Danielle for currency. He takes her away to his castle where she's a slave in shackles because she threatens to run away at the first chance she gets. When he makes advances, she grabs a dagger and cuts his cheek. She then grabs a sword and tells him her father was an excellent swordsman and taught her well. She then delivers another great line. "Hand me that key or I'll slit you from naval to nose."

ROMANTIC:
The prince finally swallows his foolish pride and narrowly misses an arranged marriage by letting the grieving Spanish woman off the hook. It seems she didn't want the marriage anymore than he did. He finds out what happened to Danielle and comes to "rescue" her. But our robust girl has saved herself as she walks out of the evil castle free from shackles and smiling. One can only hope that Pierre Le Pieu is now wearing the chains. Henry pulls out the slipper and asks her to help him "find the owner this rather remarkable shoe. She is my match in every way. Please tell me I haven't lost her." He kneels in front of her, slips off her ugly work shoe and slips on the slipper as if it's an engagement ring. "I kneel in front of you not as a prince, but as a man in love." And he proposes to her. She cries, and says yes.

FAMILY:
The baronness and her daughters are summoned to the castle. She believes it's so that the prince can announce that he's chosen Marguerite. When she gets there, she is immediately accused of lying to the Queen. Sentence is passed that she and Marguerite will be shipped to the Americas unless someone can vouch for her. Of the roomfull of people, no one helps the baronness. But, finally, one voice says she will speak for her. It's Danielle, and it's very obvious, even to the baronness that she is now a princess. Danielle tells her that she will never think about her again. And this is her arc. She'd started out wanting love from this woman, and now, she's willing to forget her forever. Then Danielle, in her mercy, asks that her step-mother be spared, but that she be afforded the same courtesy that she'd bestowed upon her. And the next time we see baronness and Marguerite, it's in the laundry, getting shoved into a vat of purple dye.

ROMANTIC:
Di Vinci presents his painting to Danielle, a portrait of her, and then some truly cheesy things are said between her and the prince. But, they kiss, and we know that they live happily Ever After.

Waking Ned Devine

Subplot - A Key to An Inner Door

We end Irish month with the delightfully funny Waking Ned Devine. When an elderly man wins the lottery, he dies from shock, and the entire town covers up the death and schemes to claim his winnings. You'd think this was a movie about greed, but not so, and the key to this fact is in the subplot.

First, here's what goes on in the main thread of the story. In the tiny coastal village of Tullymore, someone has won the lottery. It's announced on the telly that one person holds the ticket, and the townspeople set out to guess who it is. Jackie and Michael are old men who act like young boys and are best friends. They ask around town and suspect it may be Pig Finn because he's driving a fancy sportscar, but discover it's only borrowed. Finally, the pair, along with Jackie's wife Annie throw a chicken dinner party where they plan to ask each guest what they would do if they won the money, hoping someone will tip their hand. At the end of the evening, it appears that no one has won. Annie notices, however, that one plate of chicken was never eaten. Someone missed the party.

After a quick run-through in their heads of the guests, they realize it was Ned Devine that didn't make it. Jackie goes to check on the man, and finds him dead in his chair, the winning lotto ticket clutched in his fingers, and a big grin on his face. Ned, it seems, lives alone and has no family. Jackie goes back home without calling the authorities as he thinks about how he should approach this new development. That night, he has a dream where Ned is eating his chicken dinner while they both drift in a boat toward "the light." Ned is at peace and in a celebratory mood. Jackie wakes up and believes Ned is telling him to claim the money.

Jackie convinces Michael to pretend to be Ned when the lottery official comes, and they hide the body. When the man, Jim Kelly, shows up, he sees Jackie on the beach and asks where Tullymore is. He hasn't seen Michael as he is behind a large boulder. It seems the two friends were skinny dipping in the ocean, and Jackie has gotten dressed while Michael lingers with his towel on. When Jackie realizes this is the lottery official, he hops into Jim's car to direct him to Ned's house, the...uh...long way. Meanwhile, Michael, who is having trouble getting his pants on, hops on his motorcycle stark naked except for his helmet (safety first, you know,) and races to Ned's before the car can get there. (I'll talk about this brief nude scene at the end of the article.) Michael changes into Ned's clothes, and after a few more Laverne and Shirley moments, Jim is dupped into believing that Michael is his man. He leaves satisfied and says he'll have to visit the village in a few days to make some inquiries to be sure that he is Ned Devine.

Now they have to convince the town to go along with the scheme. Annie doesn't want a part of it, telling them they'll both go to prison.

Jackie calls the town together to explain what he and Michael have done. He apologizes for thinking he could claim the money by himself. He had no idea the winnings would be so large--seven million pounds. It's all or none of us, he says. The money will be claimed and divided equally among the fifty-two of them. He tells them to think about it, and later they will sign a paper saying they agree. Either all sign, or they don't claim the money, and he and Michael will take what's coming to them. Annie comes around, saying Jackie is no good to her in prison, but you get the idea that the amount of money also swayed her.

The next day, everyone signs except the town sourpuss, a bitter old woman in an electric wheelchair. Everyone shows up at her door bearing gifts to bribe her into signing. With Jackie, Annie, and Michael sitting in her parlor, she asks them, "Did you know if you report a fraud, you get ten percent of the winnings?" That sum would be more than they're offering her to sign their paper. She assures them she won't call the Lotto, but she wants her share bumped up to the amount of money she would have gotten if she had.

They hold Ned's funeral, and the official shows up unexpectedly. He listens as Jackie gives the eulogy, quickly revising it to bury his old friend Michael. Michael listens to his own funeral, thoroughly enjoying all the great things Jackie is saying about their friendship. Afterward, Jim Kelly tells Michael/Ned that he's satisfied and that he'll get his check.

The wake becomes a true celebration. And as Ned's friends party, Jim drives away.

Meanwhile, Lizzie, knowing they'll never give her the exorbitant amount she'd asked for, makes her way to the nearest phone booth, (some miles out of town,) in her motorized wheelchair. They'd had a storm earlier and it knocked down all the phone lines in town. She shows her true colors when the wheelchair runs out of juice, and she gets out and walks. Lizzie apparently only uses the thing to get sympathy. She finally makes it to the phone booth and begins her call to the Lotto. At the same time, Jim Kelly, who has dreadful allergies in the country, sneezes and loses control of his car. We think he's going to hit the phone booth, but he swerves in time, nearly hits a vicar in his van, and causes the vicar to hit the booth, knocking it off the cliff and to the sandy beach below. Lizzie has had her come-uppance, and it seems by a divine hand as it was a man of God who had finished her off.

That is the main story line. It seems complete. What could the writer have added to it in a subplot?

Briefly, here's the subplot. A young single mother loves Pig Finn, but can't stand his smell. He get's his name by working a pig farm. Finn loves her back, but can't quit because he needs the money. A wealthy outsider also loves Maggie, and she'd do well to marry him, but she doesn't love him. She knows Finn would be a great dad to Maurice. Both men think they could be the boy's father. She finally tells Finn that he's the father, but confesses to Jackie during the wake that Ned Devine is really the boy's dad. Maurice is Ned's heir, and therefore could have the entire seven million pounds. But, she tells him he'd be spoiled from the money. Besides, Finn would never understand, and Maurice would grow up without a dad.

Yowza! What a message! Our movie about greed has become a movie about sacrifice. Ned sacrifices his life for his community, (okay, he had a little help.) Jackie and Michael sacrifice going to prison to bring in the other townspeople. And Maggie sacrifices the whole Shepherds Pie to give her son what he really needs.

The subplot opens the door to this theme of sacrifice, making it even more clear, and giving it a satisfying punch.

Now, a word about the nudity and other less moral issues in this film. At first, I wondered why they would have a scene showing naked wrinkled old men. (It's all from the back except the motorcycle ride, that that's so far away, and possibly blurred that you can't see anything you shouldn't.) Then, I realized that it shows these guys as the little boys they are. It's symbolic. It's also European. They don't have the same mindset that we have here. Nothing was dirty, but rather innocent contrasted with the fact that they were about to break the law. Another issue you may have as a Christian is Lizzie's demise. If this had been written from a Christian perspective, I'm sure she would have seen the error of her ways. And finally Maggie's problem--a son who doesn't know who his father is. Throughout the film, young Maurice confides in the vicar, (not the one who delivered judgement on Lizzie's phone booth.) We see him as a kid seeking answers, and seeking them in the right places.

So, if you watch this movie, please just enjoy the story. Like God's people, it's not perfect, but it sure is entertaining to watch!