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EVELYN Send This Review to a Friend
Pierce Brosnan has made an impressive leap from his James Bond character to portraying a desperate father who is struggling to get back his three children who are taken from him when an Irish court rules that he cannot take care of them following abandonment by his wife. In "Evelyn," which showcased at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival, skillful director Bruce Beresford and screenwriter Paul Pender spin a wrenching and involving story based on a true case that occurred in Ireland in the 1950s. Desmond Doyle, played with deep feeling, frustration and determination by Brosnan, won a landmark court fight that reversed precedent for denying the rights of fathers to raise children on their own.
Of course, we know from the outset how the film is likely to turn out. But the telling is so effective and rewarding, with humor used cannily to add to the audience appeal. For one thing, Sophie Vavasseur is a charmer as young Evelyn, who never loses faith in her dad, and Sophie delivers stalwartly when the chips are down in a courtroom scene. Much depends on the legal battle that is waged, and Stephen Rea is excellent as the solicitor who goes for outside help from Aidan Quinn as Nick, an American attorney and friend, and Alan Bates as the colorful Tom Connolly, who has a reputation for winning impossible cases. In this instance they are battling against precedent and a particularly hostile judge.
Add a touch of romance to the mix, as Desmond becomes sweet on Bernadette Beattie, nicely played by Julianna Margulies, who is also wooed by Nick. Also interesting is the relationship between the Church and the law, setting up the system in which the law condones the taking away of children and placing them in Catholic orphanages.
Although emotional buttons are touched predictably, the film succeeds intelligently in offering a story that would be hard to resist. So why fight it? "Evelyn" is warm and uplifting entertainment and a new reason to appreciate Brosnan. An MGM release.
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