In an Irish village, a National Lottery winner dies of the shock of winning and the villagers launch a scheme to defraud the money by having one of them impersonate the dead man...

A charming comedy that is very much in the style of the older British comedies and all the better for it. It is good that the film was made in the 1990's rather than in the 1950's because censorship rules of that time would of meant that they would of had to of been be caught for their crime and that would of marred the film considerably. This was sadly the case in THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN, a comedy heist film about a group of retired army officers pulling off a raid, a lighter ending would of made that film a classic, but in those days, they couldn't make a film about crime that paid.

Ian Bannen and David Kelly are superb as the two OAP's who lead the scheme. This is one of my favourite films of 1999 and this had more charm and wit than NOTTING HILL. Unmissable!

The film is set in Ireland but was actually shot on the Isle Of Man.

Not bad for a gentle and whimsical Irish comedy. A lot of the charm comes from the charming presences of seasoned professionals like Ian Bannen, David Kelly and Fionnula Flanagan, all welcome here. The story of a village coming together harks back to the likes of WENT THE DAY WELL and WHISKY GALORE! And the humour is well focused. There's very little to dislike about this one.

This is a cute slice of life film made about a small poor Irish town (though the movie was actually made on the Island of Man). It seems that one of their residents, Ned Devine, had just won the lottery and everyone was excited about the news. However, when they went to Ned's home to congratulate him, they found the old guy had died. They realize that the money will just go to some other person, but the town's people have already thought of so many possible ways the money could benefit them that they just CAN'T let this happen. So they decide to pretend Ned is alive and then divide up the money amongst themselves once the prize committee gives them the money. So, the film mostly consists of watching these people going to extraordinary lengths to collect the money.

The film involves a lot of small-time actors and local color and is crafted so well that you are taken in by its charm. A very similar movie is the French language film SEDUCING DR. LEWIS, about a tiny town in the middle of nowhere trying to convince a young doctor to stay by going to extraordinary and rather larcenous means. WAKING NED was made several years earlier and is the better film, but both would make excellent viewing to anyone looking for excellent writing and a quirky comedy.