Film Reviews

On The Nose

• Rating:
• Director: David Caffrey.
• Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Robbie Coltrane, Brenda Blethyn, Zara Turner, Eanna MacLiam, Jim Norton.
• Details: US and Ire / 104 mins / (TBC).

Sporting a terrible accent, Coltrane plays Brendan, a porter at a Dublin college who is also a reformed gambling addict. Although he lost his family's fortune on the nags, it still doesn't stop him giving his two colleagues Boyle (Eanna McLiam) and Cassidy (Jim Norton) tips. Brendan's methods of picking winners are unconventional - he uses the preserved head of an Aborigine as an indicator. Pretty soon, local bookie Barclay (Don Baker) wonders where their luck is coming from, and an emissary of the Australian government, Michael Miller (Tony Briggs) shows up to bring the head home. While it's obvious that On The Nose wants to be seen as a comedy with a social conscience in the vein of The Full Monty, it lacks bite. The plot is without any semblance of cohesion, and the characters are dimly written stereotypes. There are a few chuckle-worthy scenes, but ultimately On The Nose is bereft of the imagination required to make it a memorable outing.

Review by Garreth Murphy