White Irish Drinkers
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Metascore
51 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.8 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 18 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: It's early autumn of 1975 in Brooklyn and 18 year-old Brian Leary is killing time, pulling off petty crimes with his street tough older brother Danny, whom he both idolizes and fears. They both live with their parents, Paddy, a longshoreman, and his long suffering wife, Margaret who puts up with Paddy's drinking and abusive behavior, especially to her and Danny. Though Paddy has never been physically abusive to Brian, every time he sees his brother's suffering, his heart breaks a little more. Brian works for Whitey at the failing Lafayette movie theater. Owing money to local mobsters, Whitey calls in a favor to an old friend who works with The Rolling Stones. They come up with a deal to have the Stones play at Whitey's theater for one night only before their gig at Madison Square Garden and Brian is put in charge of getting the word out to everyone in the neighborhood. In the twists and turns that follow on the night of the concert, both brothers must reexamine their dreams, and make decisions that will change their lives forever. (Screen Media Films)


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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 16
  3. Negative: 2 out of 16
  1. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    Mar 25, 2011
    75
    Writer-director John Gray, who created "Ghost Whisperer" on TV, is a son of Brooklyn whose love for the borough is as thick as a pint of Guinness, and he keeps finding fresh ways to present familiar plot points.
  2. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    Mar 25, 2011
    60
    There's an unexpected appeal to John Gray's modest drama, emanating from its center.
  3. New Orleans Times-Picayune
    Reviewed by: Mike Scott
    Jun 3, 2011
    50
    A movie that offers exactly the kind of bittersweet drama you'd expect from something called White Irish Drinkers.
  4. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    Mar 24, 2011
    38
    All the good intentions in the world can't save White Irish Drinkers from playing like the baldest of retreads.

See all 16 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Sterling
    10
    I LOVED this movie!!! The music, the humor, the actors, and it was great to see Peter Riegert and Karen Allen again. This is what Brooklyn was like in the 70's. The director nailed it! Go see it!!… Expand
  2. Dsirois
    10
    This was a FANTASTIC movie and I hope it gets more theatre exposure!! Such a compelling story of how so often fear affects our choices and actions... and how the choices we make regarding the people we choose to care about and manner in which we choose to care is whats it all about. We don't get to choose plenty in our live's (like our parents, our gender, etc....) - but we do get to make choices about who and what matters! Great movie and great acting / direction!… Expand
  3. HunterM
    10
    Can't believe I hadn't heard anything about this film before; just saw it at Laemmle Sunset 5 in LA on recommendation of a friend. I am still thinking about it. The family reminds me of my own (Framingham MA in the '80's, not Brooklyn New York in the '70s, but it doesn't matter, it's universal)..realistically shows the residual harm an alcoholic family can cause, but also shows how love can survive and conquer, even among those unable to express it. Nick Thurston is a star in the making. Stephen Lang and Karen Allen should win Oscars. So much to think about. May see it again. No exaggeration. GO!!!… Expand
  4. Tss5078
    6
    White Irish Drinkers is a coming of age story, centered around a boy who doesn't quite fit in with the rest of his dysfunctional family. It's a common theme in many similar films and to be honest, I didn't see anything here, that made this movie stand out from the rest of them. This is just another coming of age film without many surprises. The story wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special. The acting was OK, as was the pace of the film. I'm finding it really difficult to say anything positive or negative about White Irish Drinkers, because the truth is, it's just a simple, ordinary story that I've seen a hundred times before. The names and places always change, and there was a familiar face or two, but nothing about this film stands out positively or negatively in any way. It's just a very common type of story with a very ordinary cast. Everyone does their job and the story gets told, I don't know what you'll think, but my reaction to this film was simple neutrality. A decent movie, but easily forgotten, as nothing made any kind of impact on me at all.… Expand

See all 16 User Reviews

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