Four Mothers
James McArdle is a winning lead in this sharp Irish comedy in which an author gets saddled caring for three of his friends' elderly mothers as well as his own mother one summer
In 2008, Italian filmmaker Gianni Di Gregorio gave us Mid-August Lunch, a gentle comedy he directed, co-wrote and starred in, playing a middle-aged man living in Rome with his fussy mother. During the August holiday of Ferragosto, his character gets saddled with three other elderly women in his small apartment for a few days as a favour to friends to whom he owes various debts.
With a premise ripe for a transplant to different cultures, it's surprising that it's taken so long for a remake to emerge. But then, the thing about Mid-August Lunch is that it's very modest, including in runtime (70-ish minutes). There's nuance to its deceptive simplicity, but Di Gregorio's movie is notably light on plot.
Clocking in a little longer but with brisker pacing, Irish filmmaker Darren Thornton's Four Mothers adds a lot more to the story in terms of locations and incidents. But far from overcomplicating the recipe, Thornton's film – co-written with brother Colin – proves one of the sharpest reimaginings of recent years; not just in the way it fully exploits and expands the comedic potential, but in the successful injection of drama that meaningfully explores upbringing and caring through a specifically Irish lens.
Among the major changes to the original is a younger protagonist and the queering of him and his friends. As Edward, a gay Irish novelist afraid to take crucial steps to open up his life beyond looking after his mischievous mum (Fionnula Flanagan), reliable supporting actor James McArdle proves a winning leading man.
Released 4 Apr by BFI Distribution; certificate 15