Tara Road (2005)

Director:

Gillies MacKinnon

Writers:

Maeve Binchy (novel)
Cynthia Cidre (writer)

Release Date:

7 October 2005 (Ireland)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Sometimes you must lose your life to find a new one...

Plot:

Two women -- one American, one Irish -- swap houses and alter the course of their lives.

Plot Keywords:

Broken Window | Kiss | Affair | Betrayal | Hawaii

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Olivia Williams	...	Ria
Andie MacDowell	...	Marilyn
Johnny Brennan	...	Brian
Iain Glen	...	Danny
Jennifer Buckley	...	Secretary
Stephen Rea	...	Colm
Virginia Cole	...	Mrs. Doyle
Maria Doyle Kennedy	...	Rosemary
Sarah Bolger	...	Annie
Eileen Colgan	...	Nora
Jean-Marc Barr	...	Andy
Alan Devlin	...	Barney
Enrique Fonseca	...	Limo Driver
Jia Francis	...	Heidi (as Jia Frances)
Brenda Fricker	...	Mona

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements, language and some sensuality.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

Ireland

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

UK:PG | USA:PG | Australia:PG | Sweden:Btl | Portugal:M/12 | Germany:o.Al. | Netherlands:6 | Finland:K-3 | Ireland:12A

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, South Africa

Company:

Noel Pearson Productions

Trivia:

Maeve Binchy, author of the novel on which the movie is based, makes an uncredited cameo as a restaurant patron. She can be glimpsed seated at the end of the bar, right after the scene where Ria offers to take the job advertised at the restaurant cashier's counter.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'Tara Road' (2005) (TV)

Well it worked for me

Given that I have read the book (at least once) and loved it, I felt that this made the transition to the Big Screen fairly painlessly, after all it was a Big Book and time is limited. I went with someone who had not it, and we both enjoyed the film. I didn't find the acting hammy nor the shortcuts overly intrusive. A six-part drama would have covered all points better obviously but this movie told the tale adequately, the characters were all well-drawn and the mood of the book translated well onto the screen. I loved that we could get the ambiance of each home quickly and the circle of friends that each woman had. The kids were great - my only criticism would perhaps be that Danny was not quite smooth enough; it was hard to fall for his legendary charm.