Director
Thaddeus O’Sullivan

Starring
Laura Linney, Kathy Bates and Maggie Smith

It’s fair to say that The Miracle Club had me as soon as I saw the cast; Maggie Smith alone would have me in the cinema, Laura Kinney and Kathy Bates are icing on the cake, three heavyweights of the industry in one of my favourite sub-genres; ‘older lady movies’. The premise is an interesting one, a group of mostly local women from small-town Ireland in the 60’s embark on a pilgrimage to the sacred town of Lourdes in the French-Pyrenees, each seeking a miracle of their own, but what unfolds is more precious.

One thing that’s required to enjoy this film is the ability to suspend reality….not because of any miracles witnessed, but because we are required to believe that Laura Linney and Kathy Bates are the same age. This creative licensing aside, The Miracle Club isn’t a fanciful religious journey or anything of the sort, it’s a beautiful snapshot into the lives of housewives at different stages of life from the outskirts of Dublin, at a time where women were expected to be one very particular type of woman. Laura Linney plays Chrissie, who has returned home after 40 years abroad for the funeral of her estranged mother Maureen. Maggie Smith is Lily, Maureen’s best friend, and one part of the reason Chrissie was forced to leave all those years ago. Kathy Bates is Eileen, Chrissie’s cousin (apparently of the same age…..life was tougher in Dublin than Boston evidently), she has her own beef with Chrissie and isn’t happy to see her back in town. On the outside of this dynamic is Dolly (Agnes O’Casey), a young mother and wife, desperately seeking a cure for her non-verbal young son Daniel. Together with the local Priest, the group of women and young Daniel are boarded onto a bus to chase their miracles in Lourdes.

Typical to most films in this genre, this really is a film about self-discovery and friendship. Each woman is lost in a certain way, or has some deep seeded regret they must confront, which over the course of their journey they’re able to achieve. It’s fairly well done but could definitely have been served well by some female input, given all of the writers as well as the director were men. I think there were layers beyond the superficial that could have been explored more thoroughly, but were glossed over. The performances were everything that you’d expect from a cast of this caliber, but the story could have gone further to really achieve some additional punch. All in all though, The Miracle Club is a beautiful little film that feels kind of like a hug. Perfect Sunday afternoon fodder.

The Miracle Club is in cinemas August 3^rd.