Pacionsbo
Absolutely Fantastic
RipDelight
This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
Janae Milner
Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
Tim Hayes
I really don't understand why Janeanne Garofalo doesn't get more roles. She is a truly wonderful actress who owns the screen when she's on it. There is never anything forced about her performances. They always seem natural. Here, she plays Marcy Tizard, a spin doctor for a U.S. senator trying to get re-elected. Her job has become to track down his relatives from the small town in Ireland where his family emigrated from. This will help the senator secure the Irish vote in Chicago and win him the election. So off to Ireland she goes in an attempt to find his missing relatives. Of course, nothing is ever easy and Marcy finds herself smack dab in the middle of a match making festival. While fending off possible suitors, she becomes entwined in the lives of several colourful locals. Among them is of course, the local matchmaker (Milo O'Shea) who has taken to setting her up with Sean (David O'Hara), the local bartender and former journalist. The humour is warm and the characters are all well drawn out. Denis Leary has a small role as a colleague and resident ***hole. The film truly belongs to Garofalo as she is perfectly cast in the role of weary and cynical Marcy. Give it a shot. It's a near perfect match.
Trish_Pullara
OK...so some may say The Matchmaker is a bit cheesy, but I completely disagree! If we take this movie for what it's meant to be -- a whimsical look at not only two different people getting to know each other, but two people from two entirely different cultures becoming entangled -- then you will fall as in love with this movie as I have! Not only was this story very sweet (I swear I've seen this movie at least 100 times), but, whist living in Ireland, I was blessed to have been able to visit the quiet village of Roundstone, where most of the movie was filmed. I tell you, the depiction of the Irish in this movie was highly accurate, and if you've never known an Irish person, or visited the country (the Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland), you might think the dialog much exaggerated. Trust me...it isn't.So, if you'd like to take a bit of a glimpse into the true nature of the lovely Irish people -- from their use of colorful language to their friendly demeanor -- or just want a bit of the 'craic,' I highly recommend this film. The only this I wished for was a soundtrack to the film, as there were some great songs!
teetersj
One of my favorite romantic comedies from the 90's. It's a gem, that's well worth taking the time to watch. Watch with someone you love, or anyone who just loves movies will enjoy this film. The beautiful cinematography captures the mood and the heart of Ireland.The casting of this movie is impeccable. Janeane Garofalo and Dennis Leary play well off each others characters and capture your attention. I wanted to watch it again, immediately after I had first viewed it. In a time when political cynicism appears rampant, it's even more of an appropriate story these days. I would include this movie in my DVD collection.It's a film that makes you feel good about love and about life.
jotix100
This sunny comedy, directed with great verve by Mark Joffe, kept reminding me of the whimsical comedy "Local Hero" by Bill Forsyth. The film cashes in the folklore of Ireland as no other film, in recent memory does. "The Matchmaker" will charm, as well as disarm all those viewers looking for a nice time at the movies by immersing in its wonderful spell and taking the trip of discovery to Ireland.The story relies on all the color of the Emerald Island and its people. Where could there be a matchmaking festival, but if not in Ireland? The local characters live in a magical world. In a way, those people having lived in the area where the film takes place, are richer in traditions than we city folk are. It's a sobering experience for Marcy, the otherwise cynical girl that goes searching for her boss' roots in the old country and ends up being enchanted by what she finds there. It's an experience she will not forget easily.Jeanane Garofalo is wonderful as Marcy. This actress always projects an intelligent aura into everything she plays in films. Milo O'Shea is always amazing in anything he plays; he is no exception on this film. Mr. O'Shea is simply marvelous. David O'Hara, Paul Hickey, Maria Boyle Kennedy, Saffron Burrows and Denis Leary, among others, do excellent work under Mr. Joffe's direction.
