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April 2006

Irish Jam

By Kam Williams

Irish Jam DVD Review

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- Actors: Eddie Griffin, MoNique
- Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC
- Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Distributor: Visual Entertainment
DVD Extras: Interview with Eddie Griffin.
- DVD Release Date: March 14, 2006
- Run Time: 90 minutes
Rated PG-13 for sex, expletives, nudity, drug use and violence.
   
      Eddie Griffin as Con Artist Who Finds Love and a New Lease on Life in Ireland

Jimmy McDevitt's (Eddie Griffin) life is a mess. This fast-talking con artist from L.A. is not only avoiding a bunch of bill collectors, but a fat fiancée (Mo'Nique) who's so impatient to marry she's taken to wearing her wedding dress. All out of excuses and at his wit's end, Jimmy lifts some lyrics from a popular rap song in order to enter a poetry contest being staged in Ireland where the grand prize is the deed to a pub called Finnigan's. Of course, he wins, and happily abandons his rough South Central Œhood for the bucolic town of Ballywood, where the unexpected presence of a loud-mouthed black man immediately disrupts the peace and quiet. Lucky for Jimmy, the prettiest woman around (Anna Friel) takes a liking to him, and so does the young widow's mute daughter (Tallulah Pitt-Brown), who has spoken since being left traumatized by her father's demise.

This transparent romantic comedy unfolds fairly predictably, relying on lots of simplistically-drawn stereotypes at every turn, such as its portrayal of the Irish as hot-headed drunkards and blacks as superficial simpletons. This flicks biggest problem is the absence of chemistry between the leads that are fated to end up in each other's arms. Nonetheless, since this critic found himself frequently laughing along the way, far be it from me to trash a movie which might also entertain loyal fans of Mr. Griffin's irreverent brand of humor.