The Snapper is directed by Stephen Frears and adapted to screenplay by Roddy Doyle from his own novel of the same name. It stars Colm Meaney, Tina Kellegher, Ruth McCabe, Fionnula Murphy and Brendan Gleeson.The Snapper is the middle part of what became known as Roddy Doyle's Barrytown Trilogy (The Commitments and The Van either side of it). The Snapper of the title is a baby expected by young Sharon Curley (Kellegher) when she unexpectedly falls pregnant during a drunken liaison. Refusing to name who the father is, the strain on the large Curley family reaches breaking point, especially when the neighbourhood and so called friends begin to point and judge with malice. Can the Curley family pull through? It's going to need some humour and no end of Irish family grit to do so.Affectionate realism draped in comedy, The Snapper in Frears' hands unfolds as an original take on the stress caused to a family by an unplanned pregnancy. Initially the film's structure feels bumpy, the blending of family drama with uproariously scripted comedy, but once you settle into it you realise that this is exactly how the Curley family are feeling, how they cope. As we get deeper into the picture, and there is much human depth here, peripheral characters come alive and the relationship between Sharon and her father Des (Meaney) really holds the attention whilst simultaneously tickling the requisite emotional threads.Impeccably performed (Meaney, Kellegher and McCabe are terrific) and with a great script brought vividly to life by Frears, The Snapper is very much a recommended bowl of comedy drama Irish Stew. 8/10

This is enjoyable and energized. Colm Meaney is a bundle of fun, a hoot and essentially lovable– who would have thought that (I'm thinking of his role in Star Trek and there is one joke in the film alluding to this).The film is about his eldest daughter in his large family (I could never count all his kids) getting pregnant. Eventually all the neighbours get wind of this and then the back-stabbing starts in earnest.Sometimes it does get a little like a soap opera. Irish stereo-types abound - children aplenty and drinking. But it's essentially a lot of fun.

This movie manages to suck you into the bittersweet, funny family of a young girl who is pregnant but won't tell who the father is. Colm Meany is made for this role; he is totally believable. Tina Kellegher is good as the unwed mother, and Ruth McCabe as the mother is played very tongue-in-cheek. A couple of things puzzled me; when one character gave the "finger" he gave it American version, not the two-fingered "v" of the UK. Also, they referred to the baby as 7 pounds 12 ounces, not kilos. Also, the pregnant girl is hitting the bars a lot and no matter which side of the ocean you're on, you should be aware that drinking isn't cool while pregnant.Altogether, a nice slice of real people's lives.

I, too, began this movie and it had not yet grabbed my attention fifteen minutes into the movie, but I wanted to see it, so I watched. I loved it. I love the plot, the characters and the emotion this movie was able to portray with the need of any "super" special effects. It was a true to heart story, and I laughed (a lot). This movie is one of the most underrated flicks I have ever seen and would recommend it to anyone.