Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 7, 1995 TAG: 9504070037
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
1) It's the most flattering cinematic valentine to Ireland since John Ford's "The Quiet Man" (but without Ford's flamboyant Irish excesses).
2) Star Minnie Driver makes a debut that's comparable to such recent British discoveries as Emma Thompson and Miranda Richardson.
Beyond those, the film is simply a good story about carefully drawn characters in a setting that seems so far away it might almost be fantasy. 1957 Ireland was another world - particularly for women and even more for young unmarried women.
Benny (Minnie Driver), Nan (Saffron Burrows) and Eve (Geraldine O'Rawe) understand the strict rules that govern their lives as they enter college in Dublin. That doesn't mean they always obey those rules. For Benny and Eve, Dublin is a bus ride away from their homes in the hamlet of Knockglen. Nan, slightly more experienced, shows them around and introduces them to Jack (Chris O'Donnell).
He's immediately attracted to the girls, all three of them. That's the first of the problems they face in dealing with men.
There's also Simon Westward (Colin Firth), an eligible member of the local gentry who'd make a suitable catch. Then there's Sean (Alan Cumming), who works at Benny's father's clothing store. He has weaseled his way into her parents' affections, though to Benny, he's anything but suitable.
Finally, there's the priest who warns them that "young girls' bodies are a garden for Jesus or a vessel for sin!"
At the same time, the local bands are playing Buddy Holly songs; a young Marlon Brando is steaming up the screen in "On the Waterfront"; and required reading includes books about teen-age sexuality in Samoa. Which will it be - garden or vessel?
The main focus of Andrew Davies' script, based on Maeve Binchy's novel, is the relationship between Benny and Jack, and Benny's coming of age. The supporting subplots are introduced and resolved a bit too smoothly in comparison. The performances are fine all the way around, though purists might find fault with Chris O'Donnell's suggestion of an Irish accent.
So what? He's the love interest in this story. It's about Benny. Though she's supposed to be ungainly and overweight - "solid - beef to the heels," she describes herself - Benny is a charmer. And Minnie Driver makes the most of an emotionally rich and complex role.
Director Pat O'Connor (``Cal," ``The January Man") captures the atmosphere of mid-'50s Ireland without being blatantly nostalgic, and he seems just as comfortable with the lack of physical action. Despite the measured pace, the film never seems slow.
In recent years, American audiences have turned similar character-based films - "Enchanted April," "Four Weddings and a Funeral" - into sleeper hits. "Circle of Friends" ought to do just as well.
Circle of Friends ***
A Savoy release playing at the Tanglewood Mall. 100 min. Rated PG-13 for subject matter.
by CNB