Micky O'Neill (Adrian Dunbar) is a born salesman. As the booker of the local theater/dance hall, he is famous for hiring almost-celebrities like Franc Cinatra. When he is unable to tell his girlfriend (the beautiful Tara Fitzgerald) that he loves her, in so many words, she storms out of their bedroom. In order to win her back--and curry favor with her mother, not to mention keep his job--he decides to book famous tenor Joe Locke, who's wanted by the government for tax reasons and hasn't performed in decades. So begins Micky's quest to find the reclusive singer--and himself. The movie is so enthusiastically cheerful, it wins you over early on with its good-natured energy, and then never lets up. Hear My Song is like a rural British version of The Blues Brothers, with a tenor instead of a blues band, minus a whole lotta car wrecks, but a final performance surrounded by police. Really, how can you argue with that? --Andy Spletzer
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Sinatra (Cinatra?) Knew A Good Thing When He Heard It Comment: "Hear My Song" (1992), an Irish film, a romantic musical comedy/drama, was written by its star, Adrian Dunbar, with Peter Chelsom, its first-time director, and is filmed on location in gritty Liverpool, England, and the lovely Irish countryside. It's based on the life story of the Irish tenor Josef Locke, born Joseph McLaughlin, who knew great success in England, but was driven back to his home country by the tax man.
Adrian Dunbar, a frequently-seen actor, plays Micky O'Neill, who has leased a down-at-heels Liverpool nightclub from the large and boisterous Irish-English Ryan family (Liverpool has lots of Irish immigrants, and their descendents). He proceeds to run the club further into the ground through bad bookings; first there's Franc Cinatra, then Mr. X, allegedly Joe Locke. But Mr. X was worse than a bad business decision: the mother, Cathleen Doyle (played by the still-gorgeous Shirley Ann Field), of Micky's lovely girlfriend Nancy Doyle, (played by the luminous Tara Fitzgerald) once had a thing with the real Joe Locke, and Mr. X, at Micky's instigation, has taken advantage of her. The Ryans and the Doyles are furious with Micky: the situation's desperate. So he decides to hobo off to Ireland, to track down the real Joe Locke, (played by Ned Beatty, enjoying the role of his life). Once in Ireland, Micky meets up with his best friend, Fintan O'Donnell, a booking agent,played by the also frequently seen James Nesbitt. (Oddly enough, both Dunbar and Nesbitt are sons of Northern Ireland.) The friends find Locke and his senior-citizen posse, and lure them back to the U.K. to save Micky's hide. In the U.K., of course, the taxman, Jim Abbott, played to the hilt by David McCallum, "That Man from Uncle," remembers Locke only too well.
The movie was made for less than 2 million pounds, in less than six weeks, but it's consistently funny, although admittedly lightweight, sometimes sentimental. Micky has a great repeating line, "I haven't been where you've been, I haven't seen what you've seen," and commitment issues. A cow figures in two hilarious scenes. Beatty seamlessly lip-synchs to the glorious work of an actual well-known Irish tenor, with whom I'm not familiar. Between them they deliver a marvelous "Hear My Song," that leaves not a dry eye, nor seat, in the house. (I've got another rendition of that song in my house, by the young Frank Sinatra, who was, of course, a pretty good tenor himself. And he knew a good thing when he heard it.)
Customer Rating: Summary: Hear My Song Comment: This is the best movie of all time!!!!!! Forget about Casablanca, Citizen Kane and even Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Watch if again and again and again and again and again!!!
Must be put on dvd!!! I am afraid our vhs tape will disintegrate!!! Customer Rating: Summary: One of the best comedies of the past two decades Comment: Three of the best comedies of the past two decades are all British films that are shamefully not out on DVD: ENCHANTED APRIL, QUEEN OF HEARTS (look it up -- only used VHS copies are around), and HEAR MY SONG. All are flawlessly written, acted, and directed. And all are intelligent, mature (in the purest sense) comedies for adults -- a rare breed. Please look up each one, review it (even if just to say you want it available), and vote for it to be released on DVD by clicking the NOTIFY ME button. Customer Rating: Summary: I Keep Hoping This Gem Will Come Out on DVD Comment: Every once in a while, I check to see if this movie is out on DVD yet. And I'm still disappointed. I rented this years ago, and it is rollicking good fun. Customer Rating: Summary: A favorite Comment: This is one of my top-10 movies. I've seen it maybe 12 times, and the laughs are guaranteed every time. Offbeat in that inimitably Irish way! Why no DVD yet?
