DANCING AT LUGHNASA (1998) **1/2 We get so desensitized to comparatively mundane reality that it's difficult to recognize and follow when substituted for cinematic reality. The question isn't so much how one would make a movie without rocket launchers, beautiful naked bodies, freshly painted cars, and luxurious office space, as what would be the point? Meryl Streep heads an excellent cast who have no difficulty playing to her level (Catherine McCormack, Kathy Burke, Sophie Thompson, Brid Brennan), and while it's true that nothing much happens the dynamism is in the subtleties and pleasures withheld. Michael Gambon is the most compelling figure, a missionary priest who learned from the natives and was thereby discredited in the eyes of the church. Yeah, it's another film about getting off your ass and loving life but until we do I give them permission to keep making more of them.
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