Imdb Ranking 7.4
Jimmy Rabbitte wants to manage the world's greatest Dublin soul band. Jimmy places an ad and begins to have auditions at his parents; house. People come to the door and Jimmy asks "Who are your influences?" and then slams the door on one after another. Finally Jimmy puts together a group but now he has to convince them about the soul part. He says : "The Irish are the blacks of Europe and Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the North side Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud."
Jimmy then meets Joey "The Lips" Fagan who played trumpet with all the great Soul bands. He's tired of the road and he wants to join Jimmy's band. They pick up a name, "The Commitments" and three girls.
Everyone goes on working their regular jobs, bur sing and play in all their spare time. When they play "Mustang Sally" in practice you can tel how good they are going to be. What follows is one great song after another, either being played by the band or being played as background music for the film.
At their first real show the boys dress up in black suits and the girls in black dresses. Jimmy comes out and introduces the hardest working band in the world, 'The Commitments". They start with Otis Redding's "Mr. Pitiful", and there are some rough spots, but Deco Cuffe (Andrew Strong) can really sing. Then Natalie (Maria Doyle Kennedy) and the girls sing, and they are great too. The speaker blows up to end the show, but the talent is there.
Next show and the band is getting better and better. Deco sings "Take Me To The River" and "The Dark End Of The Street". Worth seeing this movie just hear Andrew Strong sing.
Deco is a great singer but the girls in the band all think he is a creep and most of the guys hate him too. Deco threatens to leave the band, having been offered a position in another band and Joey tries to get Wilson Pickett to play with the band. At their next show everything is going really well, and Deco sings a great "Try a Little Tenderness" but Wilson Pickett doesn't show up. The band sounds great but all they do is argue in the back room. A record produce comes up to Jimmy and tells him that he wants "The Commitments' to make a record with his company.
Finally Mikah the bouncer, who became their drummer, can't take it any more and beats up Deco. The girls are all fighting and everyone else seems to be arguing to. They all go off their own separate ways and then a car with Wilson Pickett pulls up and asks Jimmy where the bar is.
A great comedy with one of the best soundtracks ever made. A great movie.
BAFTA Film Award
Best Direction
Alan Parker
Best Editing
Gerry Hambling
Best Film
Roger Randall-Cutler
Lynda Myles
Alan Parker
Best Screenplay - Adapted
Dick Clement
Ian La Frenais
Roddy Doyle
Soundtrack List
1. "Mustang Sally"
2. "Take Me To The River"
3. "Chain Of Fools"
4. "The Dark End Of The Street"
5. "Destination Anywhere"
6. "I Can't Stand The Rain"
7. "Try A Little Tenderness"
8. "Treat Her Right" R
9. "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"
10. "Mr. Pitiful"
11. "I Never Loved A Man"
12. "In The Midnight Hour"
13. "Bye Bye Baby"
14. "Slip Away"
