500 Days Of Film Reviews Comedy, The Young Offenders, Starring Alex Murphy, Chris Walley And Hilary Rose
When a drug-trafficking boat capsizes off the coast of West Cork, teenagers Conor (Alex Murphy) and Jock (Chris Walley) set their sights on finding one of the missing bales of cocaine, worth seven million euros.
Jock, a legendary bicycle thief, procures two bikes and the best friends embark upon an eventful road trip, each hoping that the money will help them escape their troubled, inner city home lives.
However, with bike-theft-obsessed Garda Sergeant Healy (Dominic MacHale) in hot pursuit, things get complicated - and dangerous.
Is It Any Good?
Inspired by the true story of Ireland’s biggest cocaine seizure in 2007, director Peter Foott’s The Young Offenders is a charming and, thanks to the antics of Conor and Jock, consistently funny movie.
Alex Murphy and Chris Walley, alongside an impressive supporting cast, play their slapstick roles to perfection. They may, at first, seem difficult characters to like. However, beneath the surface, Foott (who also wrote the film’s brilliantly observed screenplay) shows us two lovable and heartbreakingly vulnerable boys.
For, in addition to the sequences of pure comic genius, The Young Offenders also features surprisingly gritty moments. These add unexpected depth and poignancy to what is a largely light and entertaining film. I particularly loved the scenes between Conor and his mother (superbly played by Hilary Rose).
As a result, The Young Offenders is much more than just another comedy caper. If you are in need of a comedy with hidden depths, this is the film to choose.
Random Observations
Have you watched The Young Offenders?
If you have, what did you think about this movie? Let me know! Leave me a comment in the box below or come find me over on Twitter (@500daysoffilm).