Dead Ned fuels wild and funny scheme

By Angelica Ponce, Special to the On-Line Forty-Niner

Wednesday, November 25, 1998

From the land where fairy tales are born comes an original comic fable about the true meaning of fortune titled "Waking Ned Devine."

Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) and Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly) are two life-long friends who have a talent for getting into mischief. Big believers in luck and dreams, the two have long obsessed over winning the national lottery.

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MOVIE REVIEW

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The friends lives change when someone in their village of Tulaigh Morh wins 6.8 million pounds in the lottery. With only 52 residents in the village they devise a scheme whereby they wine and dine the locals in hopes of getting in good with the winner. Along the way they engage in a detective game to ascertain who is the lucky person.

Eventually the two locate the lucky winner, one Ned Devine. Fortunately, for the two friends, the winner suffered a fatal shock and died in front of the television when his numbers were chosen.

Instead of letting the money go unclaimed, O'Sullivan poses as Devine and, with the help of the townspeople, try to pull the wool over the eyes of the lottery officials.

Everyone is in agreement with the scheme, except for one disgruntled woman who claims she can get more money by turning in the population of Tulaigh Morh than by participation in the scam.

The movie takes many twists and turns and is filled with magical moments that is guaranteed to provoke laughter.