'Intermission' is one of those films that should have been huge and yet somehow never really achieved its true potential. Many people call it 'the Irish Trainspotting' and I can sort of see where they're coming from. However, it's not quite as bleak as Trainspotting, relying more on everyday folk and the relationship troubles they get into. Plus the odd armed robbery thrown in there for good measure.When I sat my girlfriend down and made her watch it, she said that it was good, but could have been better if it was a little more focused. I guess that's fair criticism. It is a little all over the place here and there. It relies on numerous characters and story lines, all coming together in the end. And, like any story with multiple characters, not all get the screen time they deserve to fully flesh them out. You have your stars like Cillian Murphy and Kelly MacDonald leading the way (and Colin Farrell is kind of there as a marketing ploy as he's featured heavily in the film's marketing, yet only really appears in the form of an extended cameo – not to say he isn't fun and evil all at the same time!).Intermission isn't a family film. Don't be fooled by the cover that makes it look like a rom-com. It's comedy as its blackest. All the humour is derived from 'adult' situations and there are plenty of scenes that you wouldn't want to watch with your mother. I think it's definitely an underrated little gem. Yes, it has a few flaws, but all its jokes seemed to hit their targets where I was concerned and I'll continue to sit everyone I know down and force them to watch it for many years to come.

Dublin. The producer of a small news segment about the people, Ben(O'Suilleabhain, toying with that edge) wants to do a show on cop and self-proclaimed hardass Jerry(Meaney, determined and volatile), who is harassing small-timer Lehiff(Farrell, playing to his strength as a charming bad boy), who thinks of a bigger scheme. He will need people for it, so he approaches bus driver Mick(O'Byrne, kind but needing money for the missus, or, more appropriately, her plans for new floors, a shed, and...), whose friend John(Murphy, nice but keeps his feelings bottled up) misses his ex Deirdre(MacDonald, sweet) who, get this, has already gotten together with Sam(McElhatton, defensive) who left his wife of 14 years for her, understandably making her a bit upset.Thus this weaves the people and story lines in with one another, often letting us spend just a little time with one situation, allowing it to be, as the film is, fairly fast-paced, effective in its establishing and developing of characters, plot and the dark, quirky and harsh comedy, and, in spite of everything being set up and paid off on, immensely surprising. Along the way, we explore the themes of relationships, job situation, money and happiness. The ingredients of life, right there! And it manages to mix in drama, and maintain its Irish roots and identity throughout. The occasional intercutting of mounting tensions in different locations is a great tool, and at no point do we lose interest or track of any of the connected tales.There is a lot of strong language, some bloody, violent and disturbing content and a little sexuality in this. The DVD comes with interesting interviews with crew(about 4 and a half minutes) and cast(7 and a half minutes) and trailers for The United States of Leland, The Butterfly Effect, Step on It, Monster, The Passion of The Christ, Sky Captain and the world of Tomorrow, Godsend and Inkasso. I recommend this to any fan of local flavor and the superb cast. 7/10

I really enjoyed "Intermission" which is set in Dublin. It has a great cast who play lovable losers who take themselves too seriously. Their antics make for a funny and entertaining film. There are a number of different plot lines but the characters are all connected somehow. In some ways it's like a comic version of Babel. Dubliners seem to have a limited vocabulary and every adjective seems to begin with F, so it's not a family film. But it's fast paced and should make you laugh. The film starts when John (Cillian Murphy) decides he needs a break or intermission from Deirdre, (Kelly Macdonald) his girlfriend. She then makes John jealous by going off with Sam (Michael McElhatton), a married bank manager. Sam's wife of 14 years (Deirdre O'Kane) having been dumped embarks on a program of revenge, including sex with John's best friend, Oscar (David Wilmot). Jerry (Colm Meaney) is a police detective who likes beating people up and listening to Celtic music. He convinces a TV producer to make a documentary about his life. John and Oscar both work in a supermarket where their boss Mr. Henderson (Owen Roe) is a pompous twit. Deirdre's sister Sally (Shirley Henderson) was recently humiliated by a former boyfriend and sports a impressive mustache. Lehiff (Colin Farrell) is a thug who wants to rob Sam's bank. He is a friend of John and together they plan a bank robbery. Finally, there's Mick (Brian F. O'Byrne), a bus driver who is fired from his job and joins the gang. It's all good fun.

Pretty much all there is to it. Frantic fashion-victim film-making using all the once-trendy clichés of MTV-like commercials. Come on guys, who will ever give a damn about these so-called "movies" in ten years. They will just feel terribly outdated and shallow.As I've already stated in my comments about similar movies, I so don't care of the story, actors, plot, social comments, or subtext when all I see and hear feels exactly like a commercial. It's just a painful experience, I feel terribly angry at having to watch at such stuff again and again. Luckily, this time it was at home so I could have some breaks.When is this senseless "falsely amateurish" way of filming fashion going to stop? It's just an annoyance, really.