Jimmy Rabbitte (Arkins), a son of the north Dublin slum of Barrytown, is not long out of school and aimless. On the dole for several years, he decides to put together a band he can manage: The Commitments, "The World's Hardest Working Band," on a mission to bring soul music to Dublin. His pale recruits are puzzled when he tells them to yell "I'm black and I'm proud!" -- but, he reasons, the Irish are the blacks of Europe, Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland, and Barrytown is the downtrodden part of Dublin. With a few friends, some girl singers from the church choir, and few other musicians scared up by a classified ad (most notably an elder trumpet player who calls himself Joey "the Lips" Fagan), "Brother Rabbitte" has his band. The film is both stirring (musically) and hilarious. Lead singer Deco is insufferable (played by 16-year-old Andrew Strong with the astounding voice of an Eric Burdon), Joey is quite the Casanova, and Jimmy has a tough time keeping the squabbling band members together and paying off the tough operator who loaned him the equipment. A marvelous labor of love and cult favorite directed by Alan Parker (Fame, Pink Floyd The Wall) and coscripted by Roddy Doyle based on one of his novels.
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The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus