Excellent, funny, great music

Rating: Null/10 (17 September 2005)

Robert Arkins gets an idea to form a soul band in his home town in Dublin. He finds an unlikely but talented group. Andrew Strong is an arrogant singer and Johnny Murphy is an aging trumpet player who lies his way into leading the band. They call themselves the Commitments and rehearse and after a few gigs get very good reviews. But as with all bands they start in-fighting and Arkins does his best to keep them together.
The plot is simple but this is an excellent small film. It not only has great soul music but the characters are all interesting and you get a real sense of life in this area of Dublin from home life to nightlife.
If you like music you'll love this film. Ably directed by Alan Parker who also made Fame and the Pink Floyd The Wall movies. He knows how to make movies about music.