The Snapper (1993)

The Snapper is directed by Stephen Frears and adapted to screenplay by Roddy Doyle from his own novel of the same name. It stars Colm Meaney, Tina Kellegher, Ruth McCabe, Fionnula Murphy and Brendan Gleeson.The Snapper is the middle part of what became known as Roddy Doyle's Barrytown Trilogy (The Commitments and The Van either side of it). The Snapper of the title is a baby expected by young Sharon Curley (Kellegher) when she unexpectedly falls pregnant during a drunken liaison. Refusing to name who the father is, the strain on the large Curley family reaches breaking point, especially when the neighbourhood and so called friends begin to point and judge with malice. Can the Curley family pull through? It's going to need some humour and no end of Irish family grit to do so.Affectionate realism draped in comedy, The Snapper in Frears' hands unfolds as an original take on the stress caused to a family by an unplanned pregnancy. Initially the film's structure feels bumpy, the blending of family drama with uproariously scripted comedy, but once you settle into it you realise that this is exactly how the Curley family are feeling, how they cope. As we get deeper into the picture, and there is much human depth here, peripheral characters come alive and the relationship between Sharon and her father Des (Meaney) really holds the attention whilst simultaneously tickling the requisite emotional threads.Impeccably performed (Meaney, Kellegher and McCabe are terrific) and with a great script brought vividly to life by Frears, The Snapper is very much a recommended bowl of comedy drama Irish Stew. 8/10

This is enjoyable and energized. Colm Meaney is a bundle of fun, a hoot and essentially lovable– who would have thought that (I'm thinking of his role in Star Trek and there is one joke in the film alluding to this).The film is about his eldest daughter in his large family (I could never count all his kids) getting pregnant. Eventually all the neighbours get wind of this and then the back-stabbing starts in earnest.Sometimes it does get a little like a soap opera. Irish stereo-types abound - children aplenty and drinking. But it's essentially a lot of fun.

What a fantastic film. I recently watched it for the first time in years and, true to form, it had me keeling over with laughter once again. "The Snapper" is Irish humour at its best. One of the best bits is surely Dessie's "I suppose a ride is out of the question?". And no, he's not asking his wife to give him a lift to the pub :) He's seeking a different kind of thrill altogether! This film provides a wonderful insight into, and reflection of, Irish humour. It abounds with sarcasm and pure Irish wit. As an Irish person born and living in Ireland, I identify with this film on many levels - although I did not grow up in a household anywhere near as eventful as the Curleys' one! Nowadays the parts where the pregnant Sharon drinks away to her heart's content may well have been left out, since so much has since been discovered about the effects alcohol can have on an unborn child. However, it goes without saying that there are women the world over drinking themselves to oblivion throughout the pregnancies! Everything about this film is realistic. Colm Meaney gives a wonderful performance and he never even seems as though he's acting! There's nothing false about "The Snapper", simply a realistic storyline where what at first seems like a tragic event is accepted and dealt with through jaw-breaking humour.

"The Snapper" may not be the sort of movie that you would usually notice, but it is definitely worth seeing. Portraying 20-year-old Dubliner Sharon Curley (Tina Kellegher) getting pregnant and refusing to identify the father, the movie makes the most of itself. Crappy flicks like "Nine Months" have dealt with pregnancy, but this one is actually interesting. Aside from the fact that it shows working-class life in Ireland, we also get to see how dad Dessie (Colm Meaney) had for so long ignored the female reproductive system - despite his wife Kay's (Ruth McCabe) many pregnancies - but now starts to take an interest in that.All in all, this is a modern masterpiece. It has something for everyone. All that I can say further is: Erin go bragh!