A feelgood celebration of working class Dublin, the adaptation of Roddy Doyle’s novel is a paen to the music of the soul.
Wheeler and dealer Jimmy Rabbite (Robert Arkins – The Comeback) auditions locals as he looks to set up a soul band. Centred around the stunning Joe Cocker-like voice of the arrogant Deco (Andrew Strong), a bus conductor by day, The Commitments take Dublin’s pub scene by storm. But relationships within the 10-piece band make for a hard slog.
With an emphasis on the music of the likes of Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding and the rowdy live gigs, The Commitments is a soulful experience littered with expletives and laugh-out-loud humour. Director Alan Parker (Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning) choses to keep it simple and offer an infectious good time as we experience the highs and lows of the ten as Rabbite supports, pushes, cajoles the world around them.
Nominated for the best editing Oscar in 1992.
Rating: 77%