Intermission (2004)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Gravy Tea

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Written by Mark O'Rowe and directed by John Crowley, Intermission plays like a mini-Short Cuts, looking at the lives of over a dozen Dubliners and the ways their lives cross. Colin Farrell leads the cast and provides a shocking opening scene as Lehiff, a thief and all-around troublemaker. Colm Meany plays a detective who hopes to get on television. Kelly Macdonald (Gosford Park) begins seeing an older man after her boyfriend (Cillian Murphy) dumps her. And poor Shirley Henderson looks for love but refuses to do something about her little moustache. O'Rowe and Crowley emphasize the general hopelessness in these people's lives but still give the movie enough spice and drive to lift it above the gloom, not unlike the brown sauce Murphy's character likes to put in his tea. It's a completely professional job that lets you enjoy without picking it apart; the pieces fit together very neatly. Farrell in particular gives an intense, unhinged performance and, after dreck like S.W.A.T., reminds us why he's a star.

DVD Details: This is a terrific movie for home video, a kind of discovery that many viewers will treasure. MGM/UA's rather skimpy disc comes with two deleted scenes (about 3 minutes), and a theatrical trailer. The soundtrack is in 5.1 Dolby Digital and comes with optional English and Spanish subtitles (helpful for those who find the accents too thick). It also includes trailers for Code 46 and Coffee and Cigarettes and previews for Bubba Ho-Tep, Saved!, Unspeakable, Walking Tall and Touching the Void.