The Miracle Club

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IN A NUTSHELL: This was a movie project 17 years in the making! Finally, all of the pieces came together for production and distribution. Lourdes, France is known as a city of pilgrimage for miracles. In this story, some women of Ballygar, Ireland want to go there to taste freedom and miracles in their life. The lovely film was directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan. Writing credits go to Joshua D. Maurer, Timothy Prager, and Jimmy Smallhorne. THINGS I LIKED: The cast is wonderful and includes Academy Award winners Kathy Bates, Maggie Smith, Stephen Rea, and Laura Linney. Others to round out the cast are Agnes O'Casey, Mark O'Halloran, Mark McKenna. We get to hear Kathy Bates sing! I was excited to see this movie because it features so many incredible actresses and because we get to go to Ireland. I'm going there for the first time this summer! We also get to go to beautiful Lourdes, France! There's some beautiful cinematography by John Conroy. The mystery keeps us watching to figure out what caused the schism between certain characters. The film does an excellent job illustrating how everyone is in search of some kind of healing, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual. The movie meanders gently along with lovely music that perfectly supports each scene. There is a sweet sense of sisterhood and friendship among the women in the story, each supporting one another. THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Some of the accents are pretty thick, so it's hard to understand what many of the characters say sometimes. Almost all of the men in the movie are represented as awful misogynists or incapable dullards. I would love to have seen more of both Ireland and France in the background of scenes. Both are such gorgeous countries. TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kids will be bored. We see people in towels get into a bathtub. There is talk of abortion and miscarriage. People talk of someone who drowned in the sea. No profanity. We see a scene at a funeral. To see my full review, go to my YouTube channel called Movie Review Mom!

3 stars of wholesome appreciation for the technical lighting and the grace of Laura Linney, who was beautifully portrayed throughout. Otherwise, only a few moments of light hearted relief at the start showed promise amidst an excruciating journey of Irish Catholic toxicity. (I can say that). Watch and enjoy this film if you have no experience or bias towards the systemic cruelty of Catholicism in Ireland in the 20th Century and its pervasive integration into later generations who continue to bear the cross. If on the other hand, you are of Irish Catholic descent and are all too familiar with the cruel ideology of shame that was thrust upon "inappropriate" pregnancy and its outcomes, then do not watch this film if this matter is emotionally charged for you. If you will be triggered by the impact of Suicide, fear of Breast Cancer or feel upset by the questionable portrayal of ASD; then do not watch this film. Similarly if you are triggered and still trying to heal from Catholic guilt, misogyny, shame, and the ritualistic bullying that is inherent within the somewhat incestuous matriarchal cliques by the altar, then please believe me, stay at home. I am really serious. The frivolous billing of this film is erroneous.

This incredible feel-good story, by a great Irish director and, of course, starring some of the all time acting lecends, is definitely worth checking into. It delves into tragedy, unresolved conflicts and sequels, yet allows for a bit of hope and an overall good feeling. It is indeed a great mix of heartfelt drama and some humour baked into it. The actors, needless to say, all do a remarkable job - even after such long careers for most of them, they still manage to impress so much. The cinematography, cutting and editing is splendid, the film just looks so good, very beautifully put together. Overall, definitely a great drama that will make you feel good. Very lowkey, subtle and beautiful! Very much recommended for any lover of film, and these wonderful actresses.

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Miracle Club, I just knew with a cast that included Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates and Laura Linley that I had to watch it. I was not disappointed in the slightest. It is a lovely story about a friendship, past mistakes, love and forgiveness. The casting is brilliant and as usual Smith, Bates and Linley give magnificent performances. It tells the story of woman who returns to her home village after 40 years away, to attend the funeral of her mother whom she has not seen in all those years. She is met with hostility from her old friend and the mother of her long lost love. It culminates with them taking a trip to Lourdes all in search of their own miracle. I really feel honoured to have watched this film and really did not want it to end.

source: The Miracle Club

This one's a nice feel-good movie featuring three women from Ballygar (Ireland) who found clarity and compassion. "The Miracle Club" delivered a good dose of character-driven storytelling with a deeply empathic message at its heart. Going to the sacred town of Lourdes in France has long been a popular pilgrimage choice. Maggie Smith (as Lily Fox), Kathy Bates (as Eileen Dunne), Laura Linney (as Chrissie Ahearn), and Agnes O'Casey (as Dolly Hennessy) gave beautiful performances as family women heading to Lourdes in 1967. Their acting was emotive, simple, and left an impression. All other artists did good work bringing this interesting story to life. I especially liked how relatable the story was, despite it featuring Irish people and Catholicism. It felt like a tale anyone from any religion anywhere in the world would connect with. As the title suggests, a miracle seemingly happened to the Hennessys. Their son was struggling with a speech impediment, and the mother believed a trip to Lourdes could (in line with what the location is rumored to do) heal him. They landed the trip after entering a church fundraiser, which Chrissie Ahearn's mother Maureen (voiced by Brenda Fricker) worked hard to establish. Chrissie was an estranged daughter who hadn't been back to Ballygar in forty years. The drama around this was crisply portrayed, and went on to enrich the scenes that followed. Laura Linney was a focal point in this movie. Her character Chrissie expressed healthy disbelief regarding some of the 'miracles' that took place in Lourdes. Her husband Declan (also Lily's only son), now long deceased, was the invisible glue that bound her to some of the people at Ballygar. The team didn't shy from tapping into this rich source of emotion as the story progressed, including the child Chrissie lost and was originally banished from Ballygar for. Though the women didn't win the talent contest, it was captivating to watch how the script got Lily, Eileen, and Chrissie to end up going to Lourdes together, where the real miracle was them discovering the forgiveness and love they never realized they would ever find.