Evelyn

PG	Rottentomatoes.com Rating: 65%	2002
Mild language, thematic elements	Picky Flicks Quote:"Swells the heart in that predictable yet sweet way all come-from-behind pictures should." -Shaun O'Connell, Eclipse Magazine	RUNTIME: 1 hr.35 mins.
Visit:www.screenit.com for complete details		Movie Mood:All choked up

Evelyn features a glammed down Pierce Brosnan lisping in his native Irish brogue, and I've rarely liked him more. That's not to say that he doesn't make a good rogue (hey! lookee there! "brogue" and "rogue" rhyme; now back to the topic at hand). He does and then some. But his turn here as an imperfect but loving father who wants nothing more than the chance to continue being a "da" to his young children is winning, poignant even.

The setting is Dublin, 1953, and Desmond Doyle's (Brosnan) wife has just dumped him for good--flown the coop with another man without a thought for the three young children she leaves behind. Desmond isn't so impressive in the character department himself. He's a drinker, whose fondness for Irish whiskey keeps him out of work as often as not. When he does work, we're told he's a darn-good painter, but he doesn't tend to stay motivated for long.

That doesn't mean he doesn't love his kids, though, a fact that's thrown into harsh relief when the Irish government discovers that his children are living at home without a mother and shows up to cart them off. They're not even allowed to stay together, with the two boys ending up in one home and spunky, sparkly-eyed Evelyn (after whom the movie is named) landing in a convent school.

Thus begins Desmond's fight to win custody of his children back, and while you may be scratching your head as to why it's a fight at all (he is there father, right?), the fact of the matter is that in this time in the history of Ireland (and elsewhere), fathers simply did not retain custody of their children if the mother wasn't around. It was unheard of.

There are adversities, certainly. Desmond has no money and fewer connections and at first despairs of making himself heard. But when a pretty barmaid (Julianna Margulies) tells him to quit his moping, pull his act together, and do something for once, it's just the kick in the pants he needs.

Just like that, he's hunting for and landing an ace in the hole in the form of two clever lawyers who are willing to take his case absolutely free because they believe in his cause. Sound like a fairytale? Well, maybe, but Evelyn is "based on a true story." In movie terminology, that could mean practically anything, but the movie certainly leads up to believe that at the very least Evelyn and her daddy existed at some point and that their case made it all the way to Irish Supreme Court and resulted in the overthrow of a once iron-clad precedent.

Oops! Did I ruin the ending for you? Well, you didn't seriously think that dads are denied custody of their children in Ireland today, did you? There, then. It wasn't such a shock after all.

As is often the case with small, independent films like this, the strength of the movie lies, not in its flashy set-pieces or drama-filled scenes, but in its performances. Desmond is a charming shambles of a man whose affection for his children shines through his appealingly crinkle-eyed smile. And Aidan Quinn is solid as ever as the pragmatic, yet sympathetic lawyer with a few tricks up his sleeve. But the film's best performance comes from young Sophie Vavasseur as Evelyn. She shines in every scene she enters and not because she seems like she's acting either. Quite the contrary. Her natural charisma and gap-toothed smile are her best attributes, which makes it a good thing that Evelyn, the movie, chooses to keep its focus on Evelyn, the girl, and her Daddy rather than hop-skipping between the plights of the three Doyle children.

Even though Evelyn's treatment sometimes borders on parody (the stereotypically overly-stern -to-the-point-of-child-abuse nun is present and accounted for), her quiet dignity in the face of
mistreatment grounds the shriller scenes in reality.

Director Bruce Beresford (of Driving Miss Daisy fame) does, perhaps, slather the syrup on a bit thick--especially in the misty-eyed reunions and emotionally-charged courtroom scenes, but the film doesn't really suffer from his heavy-handed approach. It would probably have been more realistic if the evil nun and the self-important, bigoted judge had been a little more objective instead of being transformed into movie-villains of the first-degree. But the level of their unlikability certainly makes it easier for audiences (especially younger ones) to know who to root for.

If you have an hour and a half to watch a movie, give Evelyn a go (it would be a great one for Father's Day). Warm fuzzies are sure to abound.

Until next Wednesday, stay picky! Your mind will thank you later.