Tara Road

Ireland 2005, 100 minutes
Dir. Gillies MacKinnon
Rating: [PG]
Genres: Drama

Feat. Andie MacDowell, Olivia Williams, Stephen Rea, Brenda Fricker, Jean-Marc Barr, Iain Glen

Aroview: An attractive cast distinguishes this middling adaptation of Mauve Binchy's (CIRCLE OF FRIENDS) best-seller, in which two women - one American (MacDowell), the other Irish (Williams) - decide to swap houses for a few weeks and gain some trans-Atlantic breathing room in the midst of personal problems.

Incorporating only a portion of Binchy's original narrative this struggles at times to chart a convincing journey down 'Tara Road' for its heroines. But even so, MacDowell's Irish excursion provides some broad local humour, throwing in a few ironic moments when she encounters Williams' slimy husband (who left her for a pregnant younger girlfriend), while overall preaching an exemplary message of female independence.