Divorcing Jack

Customer Reviews:

Surprisingly funny.......2007-09-11

This flick is a strange mix of some slapstick/rediculous humor and very dark and violent events and people. There are several clever lines, some good music, some philosophizing about politics and human nature, a murder mystery, and a cat and mouse game that takes many absurd turns. The "romantic" aspects that are played up in the descriptions and trailer are really negligeable to the whole thing. It's so ambitious as to not be beleived but somehow you can allow them that. The humor is very silly, and the serious or sad aspects really are very pathetic. I'm not sure the term "dark humor" is really aplicable to this; while I think of that as being more of laughing at the rediculousness of an ugly and violent situation, in this movie, it's more like there are 2 planes, humore and drama, that merely co-exist. I couldn't give a logical reason why but it worked for me. It was probably a lot of the one liners and the performances of the entire cast which created very amusing characters. Our hero protagonist is a real loser who you can't help but like in spite of his being slime. I'm very easily swayed by a good laugh and this film was sooo much funnier than expected. I can see how it might not be for everyone. Hope you like it.

Amaze your friends with this "sleeper" hit!.......2007-05-02

When my friends come over and want to see a movie, I always keep this one as a recommendation. The movie is funny, action packed, and features some wonderful performances by brilliant actors. I recommend picking up a copy for those nights when you and your friends can't make up your minds.

A black comedy with a message; highly underrated.......2006-08-19

A vastly underrated film that was practically ignored by both critics and viewers, Divorcing Jack is a highly enjoyable, and often powerful, film with a terrific cast and a very clever title that keeps you interested to the last minute. It's good to see David Thewlis, one of the finest British actors of his generation, play the lead in a British film - as he did in his prime, and not a side character in Hollywoodian films like Harry Potter. His performance in Divorcing Jack isn't quite as remarkable as the one he gave five years before in Naked but it's fantastic by its own right, and just like in Naked Thewlis creates an anti-hero that is egoistic, weak, detestable, and entirely believable; if you're looking for a noble hero to sacrifice himself for the greater good because that's the right thing to do, look elsewhere. Dan Starkey cares for himself and makes excuses for nobody; and that makes him a protagonist you can relate to.

There are some neat surprises in the supporting cast: Australian born Rachel Griffiths - AKA Brenda Chenowith of HBO's terrific Six Feet Under - who was practically anonymous in 1998, is terrific as Thewlis' stripper-in-nun's-clothing sidekick, and supplies some of the film's funniest moments. Jason Isaacs, who, like Thewlis, has recently familiarized himself with American audiences through the Harry Potter movies, in bone-chillingly excellent in the lead villain role. The beautiful Laura Fraser (who had recently made a career for herself in Hollywood with supporting roles in movies like Titus, Vanilla Sky, and A Knight's Tale; but anyone who happened to catch the excellent BBC mini-series Neverwhere will surely remember her as the charming Door) has a part that's brief but unforgettable. American TV regular Richard Grant is lovely and believable as the visiting reporter from the US who came to cover the upcoming elections but is more interested in learning about the difference between the different types of scotch. And experienced British actor Robert Lindsay steals the show as the dodgy candidate. Finally, a brief but hilarious cameo from the charming Bronagh Gallagher (The Commitments) as a taxi driver.

The film's messages about the horrors and idiocy of war and particularly the Irish civil war are familiar and would have been corny in a straight drama, but as in Catch-22 and other classic black comedies, the absurd humor of the film makes it powerful. If you take any of the two aspects of the film - comedic or political - and separate it from the other, maybe it really isn't all that good. Perhaps that's why it failed to find its audience in the US and most of Europe. Myself, I've lived my entire life in Israel, and am familiar with a war between two neighboring factions that always seems on the brink of resolution just before the situation explodes again, and that has its highest price in the innocent lives of people on both sides who just want to be left alone in peace, while the leaders of both peoples carry on their senseless warmongering. Divorcing Jack has a simplistic view of the situation but it's important to make it heard. The ending is inevitable and almost predictable, yet it's the only proper ending this story could possibly have. Divorcing Jack is highly recommended; it's neither a romantic comedy nor a straight thriller, but it's a good and powerful film to enjoy and to think about.

What a pleasure........2006-06-03

I knew almost nothing about this movie when I bought it, other than the fact that David Thewlis and Jason Isaacs (both of Harry Potter fame) were in it. So imagine my delight when it turned out to be an incredibly entertaining black comedy about the unrest in Ireland. It has a seemingly serious premise--incriminating statements by an up-and-coming politician are hidden on a tape of Dvorak, which is given to a drunken Belfast reporter by a young woman who later dies to protect it--which is given an absolutely ridiculous execution. The quirky and the malevolent and the monumentally incompetent exist side-by-side in this version of Belfast, and it makes for some seriously entertaining viewing. The highlights? The nun-o-gram (Rachel Griffiths) who repeatedly rides to the rescue of our hapless reporter, the menacing, but verra sexy IRA thug, "Cow" Pat Keegan (Jason Isaacs, gorgeous in a blue shirt and black pants), and the female taxi driver (Bronagh Gallagher) whose patter (replete with creative use of the F-word) is the funniest thing in the movie.

The DVD has no extras to speak of, but the movie's great. Highly recommended.

If you like Irish and British Comedy.......2005-08-26

.... This movie is for you. Now, now one shouldn't make fun of the Northern Irish situation the way it was 10- 15 years ago, but the movie isn't all about it. Do not misunderstand me the whole Irish war thing plays a part in this movie but let's meet the main character....

Starkey.... A drink-a-lot -of- beer happy Irish guy who works for a news paper always on the edge of being kicked out if he doesn't deliver a good story soon!!! He happens to meet some high positioned politicians daughter who happened to be the ex girlfriend of a loony terrorist/ dealer named Cow Pat Keegan < I think I wrote the name right > . And even though Starkey is married and loves his wife he falls for the gal who is killed in the 1st third of the movie.

Starkey now on the search for the gals killer meets a whole bunch of people along the way some of em funnier then others, realizing somewhere down the road that the last words of the dieing gal weren't Divorcing Jack but...... oh I almost told you ... you going to have to find that one out for yourself.

Fact of the matter is one either likes this movie or hates it. I personally liked the dark humor. It's a change from the usual oh so happy bubbly comedies that we have come accustomed with. And even though some of the parts in this movie don't seem to make sense I believe that's the point making the movie even funnier.

Sadly there haven't been any extra's on the DVD; so if you are looking for interviews on the movie by cast and crew you are not going to get that. And it's a movie for grown ups only due to all the bad words in it you know F and S words which one shouldn't be surprised by since the movie is as Irish as it can be. Some of you might have trouble to understand the sometimes thick accent but its still worth seeing this movie!!!!

Average customer rating:

Surprisingly funny
Amaze your friends with this "sleeper" hit!
A black comedy with a message; highly underrated
What a pleasure.
If you like Irish and British Comedy

Divorcing Jack [Region 2]
Starring: David Thewlis , Rachel Griffiths , Jason Isaacs , Laura Fraser (II) , and Richard Gant
Director: David Caffrey (II)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00004R7CB