Waking Ned

When Jackie O’Shea, a resident of the tiny Irish coastal village of Tully More, discovers that one of his neighbours has won the lottery he sets out to find and befriend them in the hope of sharing in the riches of the 7 million pound jackpot. Unfortunately, it turns out the winner, Ned Devine, is in no position to collect the jackpot, having suffered a heart attack upon realising his good fortune.

So Jackie and his best friend, Michael O’Sullivan, hatch a plan to share in Ned’s good fortune - after all, Ned would want it that way. However Jackie and Michael soon find getting their hands on the millions is not going to be as easy as they expected.

Waking Ned doesn’t linger long on the moral issues of claiming someone else’s winnings deciding instead to play on the light comedy of the situation. The townsfolk of Tully More never become too contrived whilst the subplots and scenery create a refreshingly gentle and enjoyable film that has elements of Last of the Summer Wine and Dads Army without ever looking like a TV movie.

On its release Waking Ned was hailed as ‘the new full monty’ by many critics primarily due to a scene half way through when Jackie and Ned end up chasing across town on a motorcycle without as much as a fig leaf for cover. That and the fact that this is another cracking good British comedy, and a much better use of a couple of pounds than a lottery ticket will ever be to you.

David Goody