Waking Ned

"Finally, a comedy that will make you feel like a million bucks."

1998 1h 31m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 359

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a lottery winner dies of shock, his fellow townsfolk attempt to claim the money.

“Finally, a comedy that will make you feel like a million bucks.”

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Cast

Ian Bannen
Jackie O'Shea
David Kelly
Michael O'Sullivan
Fionnula Flanagan
Annie O'Shea
Susan Lynch
Maggie O'Toole
Brendan Dempsey
Jim Kelly
James Nesbitt
Pig Finn
Paul Vaughan
Narrator (voice)
Maura O'Malley
Mrs. Kennedy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kirk Jones
Writers: Kirk Jones
Languages: English, Irish, Latin
Countries: France, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $44M — a 14.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Irish, Latin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kirk Jones, shot by Henry Braham. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Shaun Davey. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alan Strachan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kirk Jones directs. Henry Braham behind the camera. Shaun Davey scores. Alan Strachan cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in France, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Irish, Latin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $44M — a 14.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
328 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Irish, Latin.
5International production across 2 countries: France, United Kingdom.
6Directed by Kirk Jones, shot by Henry Braham. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Shaun Davey. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Alan Strachan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Ian Bannen and David Kelly and Fionnula Flanagan carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Finally, a comedy that will make you feel like a million bucks.".
11IMDB entry: tt0166396 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Henry Braham
Original score: Shaun Davey
Editing: Alan Strachan
Production design: John Ebden
Costume design: Rosie Hackett
Makeup / hair: Anne Oldham
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $43,515,982
Return: 1451% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Waking Ned (1998)

Also by

Kirk Jones

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Peter McGinn2020-09-16
★ 10/10
I know that no movie is perfect, but I am hard pressed to think of any criticism for this movie, known as Waking Ned Devine here in the U.S. Perhaps I will come up with a weakness by the time I finish writing this. This is a feel good movie from start to finish. Okay, a character dies at the beginning, but only right after he wins the lottery. They set up the action by introducing several characters and fill in background on them. Then the story itself is told simply and well. Kirk Jones wrote and directed the film, which apparently stated out to be a ten-minute short. Fortunately for all of us, he was encouraged to expand it to a full-length feature. It won or was nominated for a lot of awards. So,e actors agreed to be made less than usual to ensure the film got made, and I believe some people who lived where it was filmed (Isle of Man) took part also. Oddly enough, Jones still only has a handful of film writing credits. Before movies he made some very successful advertising commercials. In addition to being a funny, charming movie, the soundtrack is one of my favorites for a movie. The music sets the mood and even helps tell the story in places. Well, sorry, I guess I didn’t think of anything critical to say about Waking Ned (Devine).
CinemaSerf2024-07-07
★ 7/10
"Jackie" (Ian Bannen) has an ingenious way of getting his wife "Annie" (Fionnula Flanagan) to bring his ice cream to his armchair - he feigns a lottery win! That sets the tone for the rest of this light-hearted comedy as he discovers that one of their number has actually won over £6 millions. Now it's a tiny village, so together with his pal "Michael" (David Kelly) the three of them begin a process of elimination to discover the real winner. Nobody seems to be splashing the cash, though! The puzzle is finally solved when they clock that "Ned" hasn't been seen for a while. A trip to his house delivers sad news but an opportunity - if only they can convince the lottery man... This reminded me a little of the original "Whisky Galore" (1949) in that it presents a community with a chance to engage in some community mischief which is, of course, entirely fraudulent - but leaves you hoping that they get away with their plan. The pacing is almost perfect, Bannen and Kelly gel well together and there are a few daft sub-plots to help keep the film moving along nicely. I maybe wouldn't use a phone box there anytime soon, though!