An enchanting, if denture-rottingly sweet, yarn.
Circle of Friends (1995)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:34
Fresh:26
Rotten:8
Average Rating:6.5/10
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Three college friends in Dublin come of age when they discover romances that will change their lives forever. The tale centers on Benny, a bland and somewhat chunky innocent girl who falls... Three college friends in Dublin come of age when they discover romances that will change their lives forever. The tale centers on Benny, a bland and somewhat chunky innocent girl who falls hopelessly in love with the star of the rugby team. Everyone is surprised and delighted when he returns her affections. [More]
Starring: Chris O'Donnell, Minnie Driver, Colin Firth, Geraldine O'Rawe
Starring: Chris O'Donnell, Minnie Driver, Colin Firth, Geraldine O'Rawe, Saffron Burrows
Director: Pat O'Connor
Director: Pat O'Connor
Reviews for Circle of Friends
A familiar tale of busty lasses and lusty lads, it's lent extra weight by fine writing and accomplished performances.
The fizzing dialogue gets all the little details right, but the plot's nothing new, and the lingering shots of hibernian greenery aim straight for mid-Atlantic bland-out.
Driver, who delivers a piercingly subjective performance, is the linchpin of the film's quiet appeal.
Three female friends grow up in a small town in Ireland in the mid-50s and attend college in Dublin in this nostalgic soap opera that's vaguely evocative of Peyton Place, though generally less memorable.
Old-fashioned and nostalgic, Pat O'Connor's nicely directed tale of friendship between three Irish girls features a strong central performance from Minnie Driver that promises a bright future in Hollywood pictures.
Beyond eliciting warm, animated performances from his actors (with a cast that also includes Alan Cumming as a hair-raising suitor of Benny's), Mr. O'Connor gives Circle of Friends an enveloping look and sound.
Definitely in the Masterpiece Theatre tradition; it's soft and safe, but extraordinarily easy to take.
Driver's tough core of honesty and wit is bewitching. So's the movie.
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