"Yeah, I'm so Mary Tyler Moore..."

THE MATCHMAKER (R) 

Reviewed October 4, 1997

Stick sassy Janeane Garofalo in a small, old-fashioned Irish town, throw in a few eccentric townsfolk (or are they all really like this in Ireland...), and what do you get?  Well, meet The Matchmaker, one of those quirky romantic comedies that somehow manages to mix old with new and bring plenty of laughs along the way. 

In The Matchmaker, Garofalo plays Marcy Tizard, a campaign worker for Massachusetts senator John McGlory (Jay O. Sanders).  Behind in the polls and desperate to turn his campaign around, McGlory sends Tizard to the small Irish town of Ballinagra.  The mission: find McGlory's Irish roots and parlay his heritage into valuable extra votes.  Problem is, the McGlory's are nowhere to be found in Ballinagra, and instead Garofalo finds herself sucked into the town's "Matchmaking Festival", where she ends up fighting off the advances of scores of (ahem) "eligible bachelors."

As romantic comedies go, The Matchmaker definitely holds its own, thanks in large part to the charms of Garofalo.  As the modern 90's girl thrown into old town Ballinagra, Garofalo plays the fish-out-of-water bit in her uniquely acerbic style, throwing in generous portions of sarcasm and sincerity as required by the story.  Supported nicely by the likes of Denis Leary, Milo O'Shea, and David O'Hara, The Matchmaker qualifies as one of those "feel good" films which manages to be satisfying if not extraordinarily memorable.  The Irish setting is gorgeous, the characters are funny, and the mood is pleasant enough to make you leave the theater with a smile.  Not too bad for a small Irish film made by a big American studio...  :-)

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!

GialMuir@msn.com gives this movie  stars: "I recently went to Ireland and fell in love with this country! I also fell in love with Irish accents. I rented this movie for the scenery and was pleasantly surprised at how cute the story was. I can relate to Garafalo's character...she's such a real woman! Great movie! Wish I could find the soundtrack :(" (10/13/01)

sarah@white64.fsbusiness.co.uk gives this movie  stars: "This is one the best movies ever made! Janeane Garofalo is brilliant as the quirky Marcy. My favourite scene was when they all trashed the car! I almost died laughing when we all the met the supposed McGlory family "Mr, Mr would you like to take this with ya!". And the Irish accent made it a lot easier on the ears! Can anyone tell me where I can buy this on video, please?" (9/22/01)

j.mcgilvray@scotland.com gives this movie  stars: "Imagine my surprise when my ex-boyfriend shows up in this movie!!!(he won the singing contest)" (5/29/01)

samlanena@webtv.net gives this movie  stars: "I am in love with this movie! It is the best movie to watch with a best friend (especially to gush over the irish accents!) My favorite part was when Marcy had to judge the singing contest. The music is awesome, the cast terrific, and the setting was breathtaking!" (5/13/01)

thatwardgirl@aol.com gives this movie  stars: "I found a site with a list of the glorious Matchmaker soundtrack and thought I'd pass it on: http://us.imdb.com/Soundtracks?0119632 " (3/12/01)

vodochic@yahoo.com gives this movie  stars: "i love this movie!!!! i can't believe with all the great music there's not a soundtrack too!!!!!" (2/11/01)

deCardon@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "I don't know where to buy the soundtrack, but I have a lot of the songs from it, including Irish Heartbeat, Haunted, and Raglan Road. I can copy it and send it to anyone if they'd send me their address." (1/27/01)

deyna@elf.waw.pl gives this movie  stars: "I like it very much.Janeane Garofalo is teriffic actress and she prove it in this movie.Moreover there is some kind of athmosfere that let relax. I also the Irish sense of humour.So I think everybody will find it interesting and worth watching. " (1/6/01)

just828@bellsouth.net gives this movie  stars: "Loved this movie, also loved the music. If anyone finds the names of the songs and the artist who sang them, please post it!!!" (12/12/00)

amgreen@colbyweb.com gives this movie  stars: "Is there a soundtrack?" (9/2/00)

jimab.bax@ntlworld.com gives this movie  stars: "Would like to get hold of the soundtrack from this great movie but cannot find it anywhere. PLEASE HELP!!! Thanx " (7/22/00)

maggielou@xtra.co.nz gives this movie  stars: "a sucker for an irish accent i thought it was great, i need to know did anyone ever find the soundtrack" (6/26/00)

cippra@speedlink.com.au gives this movie  stars: "Being a short, dark-haired girl with a black sense of humour, there's no better role model than Janeane Garofalo. I'll watch anything she's in - and was so glad I caught this on cable... It's so dreamy and escapist and sassy and funny and the right mix of reality and fantasy. AND David O'Hara is pure raunch." (12/28/99)

wolf_spider@bigfoot.com gives this movie  stars: "i really loved this movie. rented it about 3x before i decided to buy it. now i am searching all over this soundtrack. if anyone has ANY clue please email me. i really loved the music. merci!!" (10/20/99)

irisheyes_14@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "I must say that I love this movie and it finally persuaded me to go to Ireland. I have always enjoyed watching Janeane Garofalo, and her smile and sarcasm added a lot to this movie. David O'Hara and Milo O'Shea were great and the cinematography was gorgeous (it can't be helped in Ireland). My favorite scene was the singing contest on the Aran Islands. O'Hara tries to sing one of my favorites, "Carrickfergus"! Made me laugh! :) " (10/17/99)

zublvr@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "Does anyone know what the song that he sings to Janeane at the movie I love the Song and want to find it since i can't find a soundtrack Thx.." (9/1/99)

kfisher@cbrichardellis.com gives this movie  stars: "Best movie of all times, my roomates won't let me rent it anymore - I have to sneak the movie into my house and watch it with earphones - They are starting to thing I've gone mad." (8/20/99)

gti16valve@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "the best movie I've ever seen. I loved the setting and the whole movie. Could you tell me please where can I find the soundtrack please, I've been looking for it everywhere but never found it" (6/1/99)

vgoudie@nti.net gives this movie  stars: "Please tell me where I can get this movie. One of the people who responded said that she purchased the movie and I'd like to know where she got it. My friend and I have not been able to find it anywhere. By the way, does it have a soundtrack? What label is it on?" (3/17/99)

cellopea@wans.net gives this movie  stars: "everything ebillups@cnsp.com said only i think i've seen it a couple times more. i wish it had a soundtrack i could buy somewhere!" (1/2/99)

ebillups@cnsp.com gives this movie  stars: "This is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time and I have seen it 6 times already. It's a beautiful, funny and endearing film. Love the cast, love the music. It's always rented out at my video srore, so I just bought a copy." (7/31/98)

janine gives this movie  stars: "awesome music, especially the song "she's the one" performed by world party, i wish i could buy the soundtrack but i don't think it's availiable. Also, a great cast, janeane garofalo, david o'hara and milo o'shea are great and i'm going to buy the movie so i can watch it over and over again." (7/28/98)

spacey79@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "I really liked this movie. The slight sarcasm throughout was funny and I loved the music!!!" (4/7/98)

erkkl@bright.net gives this movie  stars: "I really enjoyed the cast of Janeane Garofolo, David O'Hara. Milo O'Shea and Denis Leary. I recommend this movie to anyone that loves a great romantic comedy and Ireland! They all mixed well together and one can see how the cast all enjoyed each through the movie!" (4/7/98)