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The Commitments (film)

The Commitments is a 1991 musical comedy-drama film based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Roddy Doyle. It was directed by Alan Parker from a screenplay written by Doyle, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. Set in the Northside of Dublin, the film tells the story of Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins), a young music fanatic who assembles a group of working-class youths to form a soul band named "The Commitments". The film is the first in a series known as The Barrytown Trilogy, followed by The Snapper (1993) and The Van (1996).

The Commitments
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAlan Parker
Screenplay by
Based onThe Commitments
by Roddy Doyle
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGale Tattersall
Edited byGerry Hambling
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 6 August 1991 (1991-08-06) (West Hollywood)
  • 14 August 1991 (1991-08-14) (United States)
Running time
118 minutes[3]
Countries
  • Ireland
  • United Kingdom
  • United States[4]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12–15 million[1][5][6][7] or £5.41 million[8]
Box office$14.9 million

Producers Lynda Myles and Roger Randall-Cutler acquired the film rights to the novel in 1988, and commissioned Doyle, a first-time screenwriter, to write an adaptation. Doyle spent one year working on the script before Myles brought in veteran screenwriters Clement and La Frenais to help complete it. Upon reading the novel, Parker signed on as the film's director in 1989. An international co-production between Ireland, the United States and the United Kingdom, The Commitments was the first film produced by Beacon Pictures, which provided an estimated budget of $12–15 million. The film's young lead actors were mostly inexperienced, and were cast because of their musical backgrounds and resemblance to the characters in the novel. Principal photography took place in Dublin, from late August to October, 1990.

The Commitments underperformed at the North American box office, grossing $14.9 million during its theatrical run. Reviewers praised the music, performances and humour, while criticism was occasionally aimed at the pacing and Parker's direction. The film resulted in two soundtrack albums released by MCA Records; the first reached number eight on the Billboard 200 album chart and achieved triple-platinum status, while the second album achieved gold sales status. At the 1992 British Academy Film Awards, the film won four of six BAFTA Awards for Best Film, Best Direction, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing. It also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing. The film has since gained cult status.

Plot edit

In the Northside of Dublin, Ireland, Jimmy Rabbitte is a young music fanatic who aspires to manage an Irish soul and rock and roll band in the tradition of 1950s and 60s African-American recording artists. He places an advert in the local newspaper and holds auditions in his parents' home. After being deluged by several unsuitable performers, Jimmy decides to put together a band consisting of friends and people he encounters—lead singer Deco Cuffe, guitarist Outspan Foster, keyboardist Steven Clifford, alto saxophonist Dean Fay, bassist Derek Scully, drummer Billy Mooney, and female backup singers Bernie McGloughlin, Natalie Murphy and Imelda Quirke. Jimmy then meets trumpeter Joey "The Lips" Fagan, a veteran musician who offers his services, and has unlikely stories about meeting and working with famous musicians. Joey names the band "The Commitments".

After purchasing a drum set and acquiring a piano from Steven's grandmother, Jimmy secures the remainder of the band's musical equipment from Duffy, a black market dealer. The band rehearses on the second floor above a snooker hall, and after much practice, they convince a local church community centre to give them a gig, under the pretence of it being an anti-heroin campaign. Jimmy then hires Mickah Wallace, a affable bouncer known for being a savage fighter, to act as the band's security. The band draws a good crowd, but after Deco inadvertently hits Derek with his microphone stand, the amplifiers explode, resulting in a power outage.

Tensions run high among the band members, as Joey seduces Natalie, then Bernie, then Imelda, all while Deco grows increasingly obnoxious and unruly, believing himself to be the star of the band. The band performs at another venue where, at the end of one song, Billy accidentally knocks over his hi-hat cymbals, leading to a heated argument between him and Deco. Billy leaves the band in fear of going to jail if he beats up Deco – much to Jimmy's frustration – and Mickah replaces him as the band's drummer. During the band's next performance at a roller disco, their first paying gig, Jimmy is confronted by Duffy, who demands payment for the equipment he provided the band. Mickah intervenes and violently attacks Duffy, who is escorted out. Jimmy then goes on stage and introduces the band, which elicits boisterous cheers from the audience.

After the band secures another gig, Joey promises Jimmy that he can get his friend, Wilson Pickett, to sing alongside them. On this promise, Jimmy convinces several journalists to attend the band's next performance. At the venue, the band draws a large crowd, but its members begin arguing with each other offstage, and become doubtful when it appears that Pickett will not show. They go back on stage, where Deco denounces Jimmy for misleading the audience about Pickett's appearance; the band's performance of one of Pickett's songs, "In the Midnight Hour", silences the crowd's protests. After the performance, the fighting continues; during a heated argument, Mickah beats up Deco outside the club, and Jimmy storms off in frustration, claiming that the band is finished. Joey follows Jimmy, who berates him for misleading the band about Pickett. Just as Joey leaves, Pickett's limousine pulls up next to Jimmy, and his driver asks for directions to the club, revealing that Joey was telling the truth about Pickett, he just showed up too late. In a closing monologue, Jimmy explains that the band's members have since gone their separate ways; Bernie joined a country band, Deco got his record deal and became a bigger egomaniac, Mickah sings for a punk band, Outspan & Derek still play as street buskers, Dean formed a jazz band, Joey's mother got a postcard that he was touring with Joe Tex (who had died a decade prior), Steven became a doctor but misses playing music, Billy is recovering from getting kicked in the head by a horse, Imelda married Greg (who won't let her sing anymore), Natalie became a successful solo singer, and implies that she and Jimmy are in a relationship.

Cast edit

  • Robert Arkins as Jimmy Rabbitte – manager
  • Michael Aherne as Steven Clifford – piano, keyboards
  • Angeline Ball as Imelda Quirke – vocals
  • Maria Doyle as Natalie Murphy – vocals
  • Dave Finnegan as Mickah Wallace
  • Bronagh Gallagher as Bernie McGloughlin – vocals
  • Félim Gormley as Dean Fay – alto saxophone
  • Glen Hansard as Outspan Foster – guitars
  • Dick Massey as Billy Mooney – drums
  • Johnny Murphy as Joey "The Lips" Fagan – trumpet
  • Kenneth McCluskey as Derek Scully – bass
  • Andrew Strong as Deco Cuffe – lead vocals
  • Colm Meaney as Mr. Rabbitte
  • Anne Kent as Mrs. Rabbitte
  • Andrea Corr as Sharon Rabbitte
  • Gerard Cassoni as Darren Rabbitte
  • Ruth & Lindsay Fairclough as the Rabbitte Twins

In addition, comedian Sean Hughes played Dave from Eejit Records while Maura O'Malley played Joey's mother. Besides Andrea, the other three members of The Corrs appear in the film, with Jim Corr in a credited role and Sharon and Caroline Corr in brief background roles.[9] The film's director, Alan Parker, plays an unnamed producer at Eejit Records at the end of the film. While the Jimmy character regularly voices both sides of his imaginary interview on the Terry Wogan show, Wogan does not appear, and Sir Terry was reportedly not a fan of the film.

Production edit

Development edit

 
 
From left to right: Roddy Doyle, who co-wrote the film adaptation of his novel, and Alan Parker, who directed the film.

Following the 1988 publication of Roddy Doyle's novel The Commitments (1987) in the United Kingdom,[10] producers Lynda Myles and Roger Randall-Cutler acquired the film rights, and asked Doyle to write an adaptation.[5][11] Doyle, an inexperienced screenwriter, spent one year drafting the script,[5] accompanied by Myles and Randall-Cutler.[12] Although a script was completed, Myles felt it needed improvement, and passed the book on to Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais,[12] hoping that they would suggest a more experienced writer.[5] Upon reading the novel, Clement and La Frenais agreed to help write the script themselves.[12]

In 1989, Myles took the project to Beacon Pictures, an independent film company established that year by Armyan Bernstein, a former television journalist turned screenwriter and producer.[5] Clement and La Frenais traveled to Los Angeles to discuss the project with Alan Parker, and gave him a copy of the novel.[5] Upon reading the novel, Parker was intrigued by its dialogue and humor, stating, "The book was all dialogue with very little description, but by the use of this wonderful language, and almost nothing but language, in a few lines [Doyle] was able to make his characters as vivid and strong as a dozen pages of purple Joycian prose."[11] He signed on to direct the project after concluding work on his previous film Come See the Paradise (1990).[5][11] After Beacon agreed to finance the film, 20th Century Fox acquired the North American distribution rights,[5] and Parker was given creative control.[5][11][13] The film was an international co-production between companies in the United Kingdom and the United States.[4] Randall-Cutler's The First Film Company and Parker's Dirty Hands Productions, both based in England, were enlisted as production companies.[14] Parker and the producers later attended the 1990 Cannes Film Festival to secure worldwide pre-sales.[11]

Casting edit

Casting directors John and Ros Hubbard travelled to Dublin, Ireland in April 1990 and spent two months visiting local clubs in their search for musicians to appear in the film.[11] In June of that year, Parker travelled to Dublin and placed an advertisement in the magazine Hot Press, requesting young artists to audition for roles in the film.[5][15] Parker wanted actors who could play a musical instrument and resembled the characters from the novel. He said, "I would stop kids busking (performing for change) on the streets and call them in to audition ... we had to choose kids who were quite talented, because they had to play musicians who were awful at first, but gradually improved."[5]

Auditions were first held at The Waterfront, a nightclub located near the River Liffey. Jim Corr and his sisters Andrea Corr, Sharon Corr and Caroline Corr were among those who auditioned.[11] Andrea was cast in the non-musical role of Sharon Rabbitte, Jimmy's younger sister, while Sharon and Caroline were cast as members of an Irish band known as "Country & Western"; Jim appears in a brief role as a member of the band "Avant-Garde-A-Clue".[16] Parker then held a casting call at the Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin, where 1,500 people auditioned for various roles.[5]: 2 [11] During the auditions, Parker met Andrew Strong, son of the film's vocal coach Rob Strong, who performed "Mustang Sally". After meeting with Parker to discuss the project, Strong secured the role of Deco Cuffe, the lead singer of The Commitments.[5][11] Robert Arkins was initially considered for the role of Deco before he was ultimately cast as Jimmy Rabbitte.[17] Although his character does not have a singing part in the film, Arkins performs the song "Treat Her Right" during the opening credits.[5]: 2 [11]

For the role of Joey "the Lips" Fagan, the eldest member of the band, Parker and La Frenais wanted veteran musician Van Morrison. Although his meeting with Parker did not go well, Morrison offered his songs for use in the film.[18] Rory Gallagher was also considered before veteran film and stage actor Johnny Murphy secured the role.[19] Although Murphy could not play an instrument,[20] Parker felt that he best captured the essence of both the character and the film.[18] Murphy was the only cast member who did not do his own playing in the film.[16] Bronagh Gallagher, another established actor, was cast as Bernie McGloughlin, one of the band's three backup singers known as "The Commitmentettes". The actress, born in Derry, Northern Ireland, had to learn a Dublin accent for the role.[21] Angeline Ball secured the role of Imelda Quirke after a private audition with the Hubbards.[22]

Maria Doyle Kennedy was a member of the Irish quartet band The Black Velvet Band before she was cast as Commitmentette singer Natalie Murphy.[23] Michael Aherne, who plays The Commitments' pianist Steven Clifford, was an employee of the Dublin Corporation and took a three-month leave of absence to make the film.[11] Glen Hansard, the lead singer of The Frames, was cast as Outspan Foster, the band's guitarist.[24]

Dave Finnegan was cast as Mickah Wallace, a belligerent and hot-tempered bouncer who becomes a drummer for the band. Parker's first meeting with Finnegan began civilly before their exchanges grew more and more heated. They soon became verbally abusive, threatening each other with disturbing acts of violence. Parker cast Finnegan immediately, explaining that he simply wanted to test the limits of Finnegan's aggression, as he wanted the truculence of the character to be convincing.[18] Colm Meaney first learned of the film adaptation while working with Parker on Come See the Paradise. After Parker held auditions for the younger cast members, Meaney secured the role of Jimmy's father Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr.[25] The audition scene in the film, in which various musicians audition at Jimmy Rabbitte's home, required more than 100 band members.[11] Peter Rowen, brother of Irish artist Guggi, appears as a young skateboarding boy who asks to audition for the band. At the time of the film's production, Rowen had appeared on the cover art of U2's albums Boy (1980) and War (1983), and was a national skating champion.[16]

Filming edit

Parker spent five weeks rehearsing with the cast members[11][18] before principal photography commenced on 27 August 1990, with an estimated budget of $12–15 million.[5][6][7] While Doyle's novel is set in the fictional Barrytown (based on Kilbarrack, where Doyle was a schoolteacher), Parker suggested that the film take place in Dublin. A total of 44 locations in the city were used for filming.[11][18] Cinematographer Gale Tattersall sought to create "a gritty, ugly look" that would become more composed and polished as the band became more successful. He felt that this visual style would support the film's story arc.[26]

The film's opening scene, depicting Jimmy Rabbitte (Arkins) trying to offload cassettes and shirts in a street market, was filmed on Sheriff Street, in front of the St. Lawrence O'Toole Catholic Church.[27] A house located on Darndale in the Northside of Dublin was used to depict the Rabbitte family home.[27] The home where Joey "the Lips" Fagan (Murphy) resides with his mother was a house located at 118 Pembroke Road in Ballsbridge.[27] The production also filmed scenes at Ricardo's Pool Hall, a dilapidated building located at 84–87 Lower Camden Street. The second floor of the pool hall was used to depict the band's rehearsals.[27] The Archbishop Byrne Hall (also known as St. Kevin's Hall), located in the Portobello district of Dublin, was used to depict a local church community centere, where The Commitments first perform on stage. The Saint Francis Xavier Church, Dublin, located on Upper Gardiner Street, was used to film a scene in which Jimmy finds Commitments pianist Steven Clifford playing "A Whiter Shade of Pale" on an organ.[27] The production team also filmed a scene at a Phibsborough bus depot; the location was used to depict Jimmy convincing Deco (Strong) to become a part of the band. A walkway, where Jimmy discusses his plan to form a band with Outspan and Derek was filmed at the Kilbarrack D.A.R.T. Station.[27] Principal photography concluded in mid-October 1990 after 53 days of filming.[11][18]

Music edit

The Commitments does not have an original film score, but features existing music tracks. Music supervisor G. Marq Roswell spent several months during the film's pre-production listening to and categorizing hundreds of R&B songs before travelling to Dublin, Ireland to help Parker finalize songs that would be used in the film.[28] Parker and Roswell had created a "short list" of 1,000 possible song choices.[29] From May to June 1990, Parker had listened to more than 300 songs from the 1960s before narrowing his choices down to 75 songs. The finished film features 68 different musical cues and 52 songs. 24 songs were chosen by the director to be performed by the cast.[11] Roswell also organized and oversaw the recording sessions.[28] The songs were recorded live on set, as Parker wanted to capture the reality of the band's rehearsals and performances.[11] The filmmakers used out-of-phase speakers, which enabled them to play pre-recorded tracks at maximum volume, creating a live performance atmosphere. Each song was then recorded onto a 24-track recorder.[11]

Soundtracks edit

The Commitments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
 
Soundtrack album
Released13 August 1991
GenreSoul & movie musical
Length46:16
Label
ProducerPaul Bushnell, Kevin Killen, Alan Parker

A motion picture soundtrack album with music produced by Kevin Killen and Paul Bushnell was released on 13 August 1991, by MCA Records.[30] The soundtrack features fourteen songs, most of which appeared in various scenes in the film. Niamh Kavanagh performed as both a lead and backing vocalist in songs such as "Destination Anywhere" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man".[30] The soundtrack album was a commercial success, reaching the number one position of the New Zealand Albums Chart.[31] It also reached number one on the Australian Album Chart, and was certified 5× platinum.[32] The Commitments was present for a total of 76 weeks on the Billboard 200, and peaked at number 8 .[33] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album "a bit generic",[34] while Robert Christgau called it "a cross between The Big Chill and The Blues Brothers" with performers who "sacrifice idiosyncrasy for competence".[35]

After the commercial success of the first soundtrack album, a follow-up entitled The Commitments, Vol. 2: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on 17 March 1992. The album included four more songs from the film, as well as seven additional songs performed by the cast.[36] The soundtrack proved less successful than the previous release, peaking at number 118 on the Billboard 200 chart.[37] The second volume also reached number six on the Australian Album Chart, and was certified gold.[32]

Billy Altman, writing for Entertainment Weekly awarded the album a "B", praising the performers for "sounding more mature and together on their seven newly recorded cover versions here than on four left over from the film".[38] Erlewine, in his review for AllMusic awarded the album three stars out of five and described it as being "plain and forgettable".[39] According to The Daily Telegraph, the soundtrack has sold 12 million copies worldwide.[20]

In 2007, Geffen Records released a 2-CD Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack, which collects The Commitments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) and The Commitments, Vol. 2: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, as well as five tracks from cast member Andrew Strong's 1993 solo album Strong.

The Commitments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1991)
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."Mustang Sally"Mack RiceWilson Pickett4:02
2."Take Me to the River"Al Green, Mabon "Teenie" HodgesAl Green3:36
3."Chain of Fools"Don CovayAretha Franklin2:58
4."The Dark End of the Street"Dan Penn, Chips MomanJames Carr2:34
5."Destination Anywhere"Nickolas Ashford, Valerie SimpsonThe Marvelettes3:08
6."I Can't Stand the Rain"Ann Peebles, Don Bryant, Bernard "Bernie" MillerAnn Peebles3:12
7."Try a Little Tenderness"Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly, Harry M. WoodsRay Noble Orchestra4:31
8."Treat Her Right"Roy Head and the TraitsRoy Head and the Traits3:35
9."Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"Penn, MomanAretha Franklin3:15
10."Mr. Pitiful"Redding, Steve CropperOtis Redding2:07
11."I Never Loved a Man"Ronny ShannonAretha Franklin3:09
12."In the Midnight Hour"Pickett, CropperWilson Pickett2:21
13."Bye Bye Baby"Mary WellsMary Wells3:21
14."Slip Away"William Armstrong, Marcus Daniel, Wilbur TerrellClarence Carter4:27
The Commitments, Vol. 2: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
 
Soundtrack album
Released17 March 1992
GenreSoul & movie musical
Length35:53
LabelMCA
ProducerPaul Bushnell, Kevin Killen
The Commitments, Vol. 2: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992)
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."Hard to Handle"Allen Jones, Al Bell, Otis ReddingOtis Redding2:23
2."Grits Ain't Groceries"Titus TurnerLittle Milton3:44
3."I Thank You"Isaac Hayes, David PorterSam & Dave3:40
4."That's the Way Love Is"Norman Whitfield, Barrett StrongMarvin Gaye4:08
5."Show Me"Joe TexJoe Tex2:56
6."Saved"Jerry Leiber and Mike StollerLaVern Baker2:54
7."Too Many Fish in the Sea"Whitfield, Eddie HollandThe Marvelettes2:45
8."Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)"Redding, Steve CropperOtis Redding2:52
9."Land of a Thousand Dances"Chris KennerChris Kenner3:16
10."Nowhere to Run"Holland–Dozier–HollandMartha and the Vandellas3:39
11."Bring It On Home to Me"Sam CookeSam Cooke3:41

Weekly charts edit

The Commitments
Chart (1991–92) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[40] 2
The Commitments Vol. 2
Chart (1992) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[40] 3

Year-end charts edit

Year-end chart performance for the soundtrack
Chart (1991) Position
Australian Album (ARIA)[40] 16
Chart (1992) Position
Australian Album (ARIA)[40] 10
Chart (1993) Position
UK Albums (OCC)[41] 86
Year-end chart performance for the soundtrack Vol. 2
Chart (1992) Position
Australian Album (ARIA)[40] 55

Certifications edit

The Commitments
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[42] 5× Platinum 350,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[43] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[44] Platinum 15,000^
Sweden (GLF)[45] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] 3× Platinum 900,000^
United States (RIAA)[47] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

The Commitments Vol. 2
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[48] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[49] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[50] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release edit

Strategy edit

20th Century Fox felt that The Commitments would attract young adult audiences, but test screenings indicated that the film would appeal more to older viewers, due to its musical content.[1] Parker, a former advertising executive, collaborated with the studio on the film's marketing, running an extensive campaign to attract the intended target audience.[1] Theatrical posters for the film were distributed to exhibitors in February 1991. Beginning in April 1991, Fox arranged several screenings in Toronto, New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, with audience members being music industry executives, journalists, disc jockeys and club owners.[1] In August 1991, the studio hosted a press junket in Dublin, Ireland for several media outlets.[1][51] The Commitments premiered at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California on 6 August 1991,[1] the Cinerama Dome Theatre in Hollywood on 7 August 1991,[1][52] the Cineplex Odeon Century Plaza Cinemas in Century City, Los Angeles on 13 August 1991,[53] and the Savoy Cinema in Dublin, Ireland on 19 September 1991.[54]

Fox gave The Commitments a platform release which involved opening the film in select cities before expanding distribution in the following weeks. The film had a limited release in New York City, Los Angeles, and Ireland on 14 August 1991, and expanded to Toronto, San Francisco and Chicago on 16 August 1991.[1] The film was released nationwide in North America on 13 September 1991, and Ireland on 4 October 1991.[55][56] The English-based studio Sovereign Pictures handled distribution outside North America.[57]

Box office edit

The Commitments grossed $271,333 on its first week of limited release in North America—an average of $33,916 per theater.[58] The film grossed an additional $268,653 in its second weekend, with an overall domestic gross of $775,824.[58] More theaters were added in its third week; the film grossed an additional $1,366,223 from 104 theatres, which was a +409% increase from its second weekend.[58] The following week, the film was released to a total of 555 theaters in the United States and Canada. It grossed $2,511,091, securing the number three position at the domestic box office.[58] The film saw a significant drop in attendance during the following week, the film grossed $1,752,234, a 30.2% overall decrease from the previous weekend.[58] After eight weeks of release, The Commitments ended its theatrical run with an overall gross of $14,919,570.[56] In North America, it was the 80th highest-grossing film of 1991[59] and the 42nd highest-grossing R-rated film of that year.[60]

The film was the highest-grossing film in Ireland of all time with a gross of IR£2.23 million ($3.5 million).[61][62] It grossed £8,285,701 in the UK.[8]

Home media edit

In North America, The Commitments was released on VHS on 9 April 1992 by FoxVideo, Inc.[1] To promote the release, FoxVideo distributed 90,000 videocassette copies of a "making-of" featurette to home video retailers. The featurette was made available to consumers as a free rental. FoxVideo spent an estimated $300,000 on the marketing, and an additional $200,000 promoting the featurette using print and broadcast advertising.[1]

A Region 1 DVD was released on 19 August 2003, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.[63] The DVD presents the film in standard definition. Special features include a making-of featurette, a music video for the song "Treat Her Right", a theatrical trailer, and CD sampler that plays four songs from the motion picture soundtrack.[63] A two-disc special edition DVD was later released on 16 March 2004.[63] The first disc presents the film in widescreen, and features an audio commentary by Parker. Other special features include the theatrical trailer, the "Treat Her Right" music video with optional introductions by Parker and Robert Arkins, three featurettes, six TV spots for the film, four radio spots, and a still gallery.[63][64]

The Commitments was released on Blu-ray on 30 August 2016 by RLJ Entertainment, coinciding with the film's 25th anniversary.[65] The Blu-ray presents the film in 1080p high definition, and contains all the additional materials found on the Special Edition DVD, as well as new interviews with Parker and the cast, and a collective booklet featuring production notes written by Parker.[66]

Reception edit

Critical response edit

The Commitments received mostly positive reviews.[1] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes sampled 48 reviews, and gave the film an approval rating of 90%, with an average score of 7.4/10. The critical consensus reads, "The Commitments is a vibrantly funny and blissfully heartfelt ode to the power of music".[67] It is also ranked sixth on the website's best reviewed films of 1991.[68] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 73 out of 100 based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[69] Roddy Doyle, author of the 1987 novel, praised the film, stating that Parker and the filmmakers did a "terrific job".[70]

Variety magazine called the film "well-executed and original", and praised the performances as well as the editing by Gerry Hambling.[71] Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader wrote, "If [Parker] can't resist the occasional fancy or cutesy flourishes ... that tend to compromise his work, he still allows his material to exist on its own level and makes it fun to watch."[72] Hal Hinson of The Washington Post described the film as "a deadly funny movie; nearly every scene is broken off with a punch line. But Parker's sense of comedy is organic; he never lets the jokes elbow the characters, or the music, out of the spotlight."[73] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times also praised Parker's direction, writing, " ... Parker has loosened up quite a bit here, not forcing the action as much as he did in the similar Fame and bringing a surprisingly loony touch to characters like Jimmy's Elvis-obsessed father."[74] Time magazine reviewer Richard Corliss wrote, "The film offers no message, no solutions, only a great time at the movies."[75]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that the film was "filled with life and energy, and the music is honest."[76] On the syndicated television program Siskel & Ebert At the Movies, Ebert gave the film a "Thumbs Up" rating, while his colleague Gene Siskel gave the film a "Thumbs Down".[77] Siskel, writing for the Chicago Tribune, felt that the film was "a joyful but empty mixture of Irish kids and black American soul music".[78] In his review for Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman criticized the overall premise as being "downright insulting", explaining, "In Parker's hands, soul music becomes little more than a self-serving metaphor – an easy symbol for 'commitment' and integrity."[79] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone criticized the storytelling, writing in his review, " ... the predictable way in which the band's nine men and three women argue about music, sex and fame robs the story of urgency."[80] Janet Maslin of The New York Times stated, "The Commitments becomes repetitive after a while, since so much of it is about the group's stage show, and since the effort to create an off-stage story never really works."[81] David Denby of New York Magazine felt that the film has "a raspy surface authenticity and a great deal of affection for its characters and milieu but not much dramatic interest."[82]

Accolades edit

The Commitments received various awards and nominations in categories ranging from recognition of the film itself to its writing, direction, editing and sound to the supporting performance of Andrew Strong. In September 1990, the film debuted at the 4th Tokyo International Film Festival, where it competed for the "Tokyo Grand Prix Award"[83] and was nominated for the Best Director Award, with Parker winning in the latter category.[84] In January 1992, the film received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy though it failed to win the award at the 49th Golden Globe Awards, losing to the animated feature Beauty and the Beast.[85] On 19 February 1992,[86] The Commitments received one Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing, but lost to JFK at the 64th Academy Awards ceremony on 30 March 1992.[87] At the 45th British Academy Film Awards, the film received six nominations, and won four for Best Film, Best Direction, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing.[88]

List of awards and nominations
Award Category Nominees Result
64th Academy Awards[87] Best Film Editing Gerry Hambling Nominated
49th Golden Globe Awards[85] Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy ———— Nominated
45th British Academy Film Awards[88] Best Film ———— Won
Best Direction Alan Parker Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Roddy Doyle Won
Best Editing Gerry Hambling Won
Best Supporting Actor Andrew Strong Nominated
Best Sound Clive Winter, Eddy Joseph, Andy Nelson, Tom Perry, Steve Pederson Nominated
34th Australian Film Institute Awards[89] Best Foreign Film Roger Randall-Cutler, Lynda Myles Nominated
1992 Brit Awards[90] Best Soundtrack ———— Won
1991 Evening Standard British Film Awards[91] Peter Sellers Award for Comedy Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Roddy Doyle Won
12th London Film Critics Circle Awards[92] British Producer of the Year Roger Randall-Cutler, Lynda Myles Won
British Director of the Year Alan Parker Won
British or Irish Screenwriter of the Year Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Roddy Doyle Won
1992 Writers Guild of America Awards[93] Best Adapted Screenplay Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Roddy Doyle Nominated
4th Tokyo International Film Festival[83][84] Tokyo Grand Prix Award ———— Nominated
Best Director Award Alan Parker Won

Legacy and aftermath edit

 
Clockwise from top left: Siblings Andrea, Caroline, Jim and Sharon Corr achieved international stardom with their band The Corrs after the film's release.

The Commitments has gained cult status,[94] and is regarded as one of the best Irish films.[95][96] An image of four of the actors, in character, was on an Irish postage stamp as part of the Ireland 1996: Irish Cinema Centenary series issued by An Post; the image includes lead singer Deco Cuffe (Andrew Strong), along with the three "Commitmentettes" – Imelda Quirke (Angeline Ball), Natalie Murphy (Maria Doyle Kennedy) and Bernie McGloughlin (Bronagh Gallagher).[97] In 1999, the British Film Institute ranked the film at number 38 on its list of the "100 best British films of the century", based on votes from 1,000 leading figures of the film industry.[95] In 2005, a poll conducted by Jameson and The Dubliner ranked The Commitments the "Best Irish Film of All time", based on 10,000 votes.[96] Following the film's release, the novel also gained popularity, becoming Doyle's most well-known work, which the author resented. "I dismissed The Commitments for a long, long time to the extent I forgot I had anything to do with it", he said.[98]

Many of the actors went on to pursue various acting and musical careers.[20] Robert Arkins signed a record deal with MCA Records in 1993,[99] although he did not finish recording the consequent album.[100] He has produced work for a number of commercial clients, television projects, and composed music for two short films.[20] Andrew Strong went on to produce several albums, which he described as having elements of R&B and rock. He has performed alongside The Rolling Stones, Elton John and Ray Charles, and formed his own band, The Bone Yard Boys, in 2003.[101] In 1993, two of the film's cast members, Kenneth McCluskey and Dick Massey, formed their own tribute act band, The Stars from the Commitments. The 9-piece band has since played more than 1,000 shows worldwide, and has played with B.B. King, James Brown and Wilson Pickett.[20][102]

Siblings Andrea, Jim, Sharon and Caroline Corr, who had minor supporting roles, had only recently formed their family quartet, performing in their aunt's pub as The Corrs; the film's music coordinator, John Hughes, noticed them when they auditioned for the film and agreed to become their manager.[103] The band has since achieved international stardom, releasing six studio albums and selling more than 60 million records worldwide.[20] Andrea would again collaborate with Parker on his 1996 film adaptation of the musical Evita.[11][104] Glen Hansard continued performing with his band, The Frames, and achieved greater success and critical acclaim with the 2005 film Once.[20] Bronagh Gallagher has since enjoyed a lengthy acting career in film and television and Maria Doyle Kennedy has, to date, released eleven studio albums and has gone on to become an award-winning actress.[11] Michael Aherne is the only cast member to have not pursued an acting career after the film's release.[20]

On 6 October 2010, it was announced that Strong, Arkins, Ball, Gallagher, Aherne, Hansard, Félim Gormley and Dave Finnegan would join The Stars from The Commitments for a reunion tour to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary.[105] Donations from every ticket sold were given to the Irish Cancer Society, with a goal of raising 30,000.[105] The cast performed at The Royal Theatre, in Castlebar, County Mayo on 14 March 2011, Ireland's National Events Centre (INEC) in Killarney, County Kerry on 15 March 2011, The Odyssey, in Belfast on 17 March 2011, and The O2 in Dublin on 19 March 2011.[105]

The Barrytown Trilogy edit

 
Colm Meaney has appeared in all three films based on Doyle's Barrytown Trilogy of novels.

The Commitments is the first book in Doyle's series known as The Barrytown Trilogy, followed by The Snapper (1990) and The Van (1991). While all three novels focus on the Rabbitte family, Doyle expressed that he was not interested in writing or producing sequels to the 1991 film adaptation, stating, "I hope it's never made. I just think that, whereas The Commitments was very much a labour of love, Commitments 2 is definitely an act of cynicism."[70]

Doyle was given creative freedom by the BBC over the adaptation of The Snapper, for which he wrote the screenplay.[70] Lynda Myles returned to produce the film and hired Stephen Frears as its director.[106] Colm Meaney returned in a supporting role. The adaptation was originally planned as a television film before Frears suggested that it be transferred to film. Doyle disagreed with the change, stating, "I didn't like it on the big screen—I thought it was grainy."[106] The Snapper (1993) premiered at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation.[106] It was a critical success, receiving largely positive reviews.[107]

For the film adaptation of The Van, Doyle and Myles formed their own production company, Deadly Films, and the author was given creative control over the selection of its cast and director.[108] Frears returned as director, and Meaney was cast in the lead role. Although The Van (1996) premiered at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival to some favorable reviews, critical reaction was negative upon release; reviewers criticized the film for its thin material and lack of strong characterization.[109]

Cancelled sequel edit

In January 2000, it was announced that Harvey Weinstein had acquired the film rights to the novel for Miramax[1] and commissioned playwright Warren Leight to write a direct sequel to The Commitments, with Cathy Konrad attached as a producer. The premise involved several members of The Commitments pairing with new band members before going on tour in the United States.[110] The sequel was never produced.[111]

Stage production edit

Doyle's novel inspired a 2013 musical stage production, directed by British theatre director Jamie Lloyd.[112][113] Following the film's success, Doyle had previously turned down offers to adapt his novel into a stage production.[98][114] The Commitments began previews on 21 September 2013 in London's West End at the Palace Theatre. Its official opening night was on 8 October 2013.[115] The show had more than 1,000 performances before officially closing in London on 1 November 2015. It has been announced that a United Kingdom and Ireland tour will commence in 2017.[116]

See also edit

References edit

Citations edit

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Bibliography edit

External links edit

commitments, film, this, article, about, 1991, irish, film, 2001, american, film, commitments, film, commitments, 1991, musical, comedy, drama, film, based, 1987, novel, same, name, roddy, doyle, directed, alan, parker, from, screenplay, written, doyle, dick, . This article is about the 1991 Irish film For the 2001 American TV film see Commitments film The Commitments is a 1991 musical comedy drama film based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Roddy Doyle It was directed by Alan Parker from a screenplay written by Doyle Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais Set in the Northside of Dublin the film tells the story of Jimmy Rabbitte Robert Arkins a young music fanatic who assembles a group of working class youths to form a soul band named The Commitments The film is the first in a series known as The Barrytown Trilogy followed by The Snapper 1993 and The Van 1996 The CommitmentsTheatrical release posterDirected byAlan ParkerScreenplay byDick ClementIan La FrenaisRoddy DoyleBased onThe Commitmentsby Roddy DoyleProduced byRoger Randall CutlerLynda MylesStarringRobert Arkins Michael Aherne Angeline Ball Maria Doyle Dave Finnegan Bronagh Gallagher Felim Gormley Glen Hansard Dick Massey Johnny Murphy Kenneth McCluskey Andrew StrongCinematographyGale TattersallEdited byGerry HamblingProductioncompaniesBeacon Pictures 1 The First Film Company 1 Dirty Hands Productions 1 Distributed by20th Century Fox North America United Kingdom and Ireland Sovereign Pictures International 2 Release dates6 August 1991 1991 08 06 West Hollywood 14 August 1991 1991 08 14 United States Running time118 minutes 3 CountriesIrelandUnited KingdomUnited States 4 LanguageEnglishBudget 12 15 million 1 5 6 7 or 5 41 million 8 Box office 14 9 million Producers Lynda Myles and Roger Randall Cutler acquired the film rights to the novel in 1988 and commissioned Doyle a first time screenwriter to write an adaptation Doyle spent one year working on the script before Myles brought in veteran screenwriters Clement and La Frenais to help complete it Upon reading the novel Parker signed on as the film s director in 1989 An international co production between Ireland the United States and the United Kingdom The Commitments was the first film produced by Beacon Pictures which provided an estimated budget of 12 15 million The film s young lead actors were mostly inexperienced and were cast because of their musical backgrounds and resemblance to the characters in the novel Principal photography took place in Dublin from late August to October 1990 The Commitments underperformed at the North American box office grossing 14 9 million during its theatrical run Reviewers praised the music performances and humour while criticism was occasionally aimed at the pacing and Parker s direction The film resulted in two soundtrack albums released by MCA Records the first reached number eight on the Billboard 200 album chart and achieved triple platinum status while the second album achieved gold sales status At the 1992 British Academy Film Awards the film won four of six BAFTA Awards for Best Film Best Direction Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing It also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing The film has since gained cult status Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Development 3 2 Casting 3 3 Filming 3 4 Music 4 Soundtracks 4 1 Weekly charts 4 2 Year end charts 4 3 Certifications 5 Release 5 1 Strategy 5 2 Box office 5 3 Home media 6 Reception 6 1 Critical response 6 2 Accolades 7 Legacy and aftermath 7 1 The Barrytown Trilogy 7 2 Cancelled sequel 7 3 Stage production 8 See also 9 References 9 1 Citations 9 2 Bibliography 10 External linksPlot editIn the Northside of Dublin Ireland Jimmy Rabbitte is a young music fanatic who aspires to manage an Irish soul and rock and roll band in the tradition of 1950s and 60s African American recording artists He places an advert in the local newspaper and holds auditions in his parents home After being deluged by several unsuitable performers Jimmy decides to put together a band consisting of friends and people he encounters lead singer Deco Cuffe guitarist Outspan Foster keyboardist Steven Clifford alto saxophonist Dean Fay bassist Derek Scully drummer Billy Mooney and female backup singers Bernie McGloughlin Natalie Murphy and Imelda Quirke Jimmy then meets trumpeter Joey The Lips Fagan a veteran musician who offers his services and has unlikely stories about meeting and working with famous musicians Joey names the band The Commitments After purchasing a drum set and acquiring a piano from Steven s grandmother Jimmy secures the remainder of the band s musical equipment from Duffy a black market dealer The band rehearses on the second floor above a snooker hall and after much practice they convince a local church community centre to give them a gig under the pretence of it being an anti heroin campaign Jimmy then hires Mickah Wallace a affable bouncer known for being a savage fighter to act as the band s security The band draws a good crowd but after Deco inadvertently hits Derek with his microphone stand the amplifiers explode resulting in a power outage Tensions run high among the band members as Joey seduces Natalie then Bernie then Imelda all while Deco grows increasingly obnoxious and unruly believing himself to be the star of the band The band performs at another venue where at the end of one song Billy accidentally knocks over his hi hat cymbals leading to a heated argument between him and Deco Billy leaves the band in fear of going to jail if he beats up Deco much to Jimmy s frustration and Mickah replaces him as the band s drummer During the band s next performance at a roller disco their first paying gig Jimmy is confronted by Duffy who demands payment for the equipment he provided the band Mickah intervenes and violently attacks Duffy who is escorted out Jimmy then goes on stage and introduces the band which elicits boisterous cheers from the audience After the band secures another gig Joey promises Jimmy that he can get his friend Wilson Pickett to sing alongside them On this promise Jimmy convinces several journalists to attend the band s next performance At the venue the band draws a large crowd but its members begin arguing with each other offstage and become doubtful when it appears that Pickett will not show They go back on stage where Deco denounces Jimmy for misleading the audience about Pickett s appearance the band s performance of one of Pickett s songs In the Midnight Hour silences the crowd s protests After the performance the fighting continues during a heated argument Mickah beats up Deco outside the club and Jimmy storms off in frustration claiming that the band is finished Joey follows Jimmy who berates him for misleading the band about Pickett Just as Joey leaves Pickett s limousine pulls up next to Jimmy and his driver asks for directions to the club revealing that Joey was telling the truth about Pickett he just showed up too late In a closing monologue Jimmy explains that the band s members have since gone their separate ways Bernie joined a country band Deco got his record deal and became a bigger egomaniac Mickah sings for a punk band Outspan amp Derek still play as street buskers Dean formed a jazz band Joey s mother got a postcard that he was touring with Joe Tex who had died a decade prior Steven became a doctor but misses playing music Billy is recovering from getting kicked in the head by a horse Imelda married Greg who won t let her sing anymore Natalie became a successful solo singer and implies that she and Jimmy are in a relationship Cast editRobert Arkins as Jimmy Rabbitte manager Michael Aherne as Steven Clifford piano keyboards Angeline Ball as Imelda Quirke vocals Maria Doyle as Natalie Murphy vocals Dave Finnegan as Mickah Wallace Bronagh Gallagher as Bernie McGloughlin vocals Felim Gormley as Dean Fay alto saxophone Glen Hansard as Outspan Foster guitars Dick Massey as Billy Mooney drums Johnny Murphy as Joey The Lips Fagan trumpet Kenneth McCluskey as Derek Scully bass Andrew Strong as Deco Cuffe lead vocals Colm Meaney as Mr Rabbitte Anne Kent as Mrs Rabbitte Andrea Corr as Sharon Rabbitte Gerard Cassoni as Darren Rabbitte Ruth amp Lindsay Fairclough as the Rabbitte Twins In addition comedian Sean Hughes played Dave from Eejit Records while Maura O Malley played Joey s mother Besides Andrea the other three members of The Corrs appear in the film with Jim Corr in a credited role and Sharon and Caroline Corr in brief background roles 9 The film s director Alan Parker plays an unnamed producer at Eejit Records at the end of the film While the Jimmy character regularly voices both sides of his imaginary interview on the Terry Wogan show Wogan does not appear and Sir Terry was reportedly not a fan of the film Production editDevelopment edit nbsp nbsp From left to right Roddy Doyle who co wrote the film adaptation of his novel and Alan Parker who directed the film Following the 1988 publication of Roddy Doyle s novel The Commitments 1987 in the United Kingdom 10 producers Lynda Myles and Roger Randall Cutler acquired the film rights and asked Doyle to write an adaptation 5 11 Doyle an inexperienced screenwriter spent one year drafting the script 5 accompanied by Myles and Randall Cutler 12 Although a script was completed Myles felt it needed improvement and passed the book on to Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais 12 hoping that they would suggest a more experienced writer 5 Upon reading the novel Clement and La Frenais agreed to help write the script themselves 12 In 1989 Myles took the project to Beacon Pictures an independent film company established that year by Armyan Bernstein a former television journalist turned screenwriter and producer 5 Clement and La Frenais traveled to Los Angeles to discuss the project with Alan Parker and gave him a copy of the novel 5 Upon reading the novel Parker was intrigued by its dialogue and humor stating The book was all dialogue with very little description but by the use of this wonderful language and almost nothing but language in a few lines Doyle was able to make his characters as vivid and strong as a dozen pages of purple Joycian prose 11 He signed on to direct the project after concluding work on his previous film Come See the Paradise 1990 5 11 After Beacon agreed to finance the film 20th Century Fox acquired the North American distribution rights 5 and Parker was given creative control 5 11 13 The film was an international co production between companies in the United Kingdom and the United States 4 Randall Cutler s The First Film Company and Parker s Dirty Hands Productions both based in England were enlisted as production companies 14 Parker and the producers later attended the 1990 Cannes Film Festival to secure worldwide pre sales 11 Casting edit Casting directors John and Ros Hubbard travelled to Dublin Ireland in April 1990 and spent two months visiting local clubs in their search for musicians to appear in the film 11 In June of that year Parker travelled to Dublin and placed an advertisement in the magazine Hot Press requesting young artists to audition for roles in the film 5 15 Parker wanted actors who could play a musical instrument and resembled the characters from the novel He said I would stop kids busking performing for change on the streets and call them in to audition we had to choose kids who were quite talented because they had to play musicians who were awful at first but gradually improved 5 Auditions were first held at The Waterfront a nightclub located near the River Liffey Jim Corr and his sisters Andrea Corr Sharon Corr and Caroline Corr were among those who auditioned 11 Andrea was cast in the non musical role of Sharon Rabbitte Jimmy s younger sister while Sharon and Caroline were cast as members of an Irish band known as Country amp Western Jim appears in a brief role as a member of the band Avant Garde A Clue 16 Parker then held a casting call at the Mansion House on Dawson Street Dublin where 1 500 people auditioned for various roles 5 2 11 During the auditions Parker met Andrew Strong son of the film s vocal coach Rob Strong who performed Mustang Sally After meeting with Parker to discuss the project Strong secured the role of Deco Cuffe the lead singer of The Commitments 5 11 Robert Arkins was initially considered for the role of Deco before he was ultimately cast as Jimmy Rabbitte 17 Although his character does not have a singing part in the film Arkins performs the song Treat Her Right during the opening credits 5 2 11 For the role of Joey the Lips Fagan the eldest member of the band Parker and La Frenais wanted veteran musician Van Morrison Although his meeting with Parker did not go well Morrison offered his songs for use in the film 18 Rory Gallagher was also considered before veteran film and stage actor Johnny Murphy secured the role 19 Although Murphy could not play an instrument 20 Parker felt that he best captured the essence of both the character and the film 18 Murphy was the only cast member who did not do his own playing in the film 16 Bronagh Gallagher another established actor was cast as Bernie McGloughlin one of the band s three backup singers known as The Commitmentettes The actress born in Derry Northern Ireland had to learn a Dublin accent for the role 21 Angeline Ball secured the role of Imelda Quirke after a private audition with the Hubbards 22 Maria Doyle Kennedy was a member of the Irish quartet band The Black Velvet Band before she was cast as Commitmentette singer Natalie Murphy 23 Michael Aherne who plays The Commitments pianist Steven Clifford was an employee of the Dublin Corporation and took a three month leave of absence to make the film 11 Glen Hansard the lead singer of The Frames was cast as Outspan Foster the band s guitarist 24 Dave Finnegan was cast as Mickah Wallace a belligerent and hot tempered bouncer who becomes a drummer for the band Parker s first meeting with Finnegan began civilly before their exchanges grew more and more heated They soon became verbally abusive threatening each other with disturbing acts of violence Parker cast Finnegan immediately explaining that he simply wanted to test the limits of Finnegan s aggression as he wanted the truculence of the character to be convincing 18 Colm Meaney first learned of the film adaptation while working with Parker on Come See the Paradise After Parker held auditions for the younger cast members Meaney secured the role of Jimmy s father Jimmy Rabbitte Sr 25 The audition scene in the film in which various musicians audition at Jimmy Rabbitte s home required more than 100 band members 11 Peter Rowen brother of Irish artist Guggi appears as a young skateboarding boy who asks to audition for the band At the time of the film s production Rowen had appeared on the cover art of U2 s albums Boy 1980 and War 1983 and was a national skating champion 16 Filming edit Parker spent five weeks rehearsing with the cast members 11 18 before principal photography commenced on 27 August 1990 with an estimated budget of 12 15 million 5 6 7 While Doyle s novel is set in the fictional Barrytown based on Kilbarrack where Doyle was a schoolteacher Parker suggested that the film take place in Dublin A total of 44 locations in the city were used for filming 11 18 Cinematographer Gale Tattersall sought to create a gritty ugly look that would become more composed and polished as the band became more successful He felt that this visual style would support the film s story arc 26 The film s opening scene depicting Jimmy Rabbitte Arkins trying to offload cassettes and shirts in a street market was filmed on Sheriff Street in front of the St Lawrence O Toole Catholic Church 27 A house located on Darndale in the Northside of Dublin was used to depict the Rabbitte family home 27 The home where Joey the Lips Fagan Murphy resides with his mother was a house located at 118 Pembroke Road in Ballsbridge 27 The production also filmed scenes at Ricardo s Pool Hall a dilapidated building located at 84 87 Lower Camden Street The second floor of the pool hall was used to depict the band s rehearsals 27 The Archbishop Byrne Hall also known as St Kevin s Hall located in the Portobello district of Dublin was used to depict a local church community centere where The Commitments first perform on stage The Saint Francis Xavier Church Dublin located on Upper Gardiner Street was used to film a scene in which Jimmy finds Commitments pianist Steven Clifford playing A Whiter Shade of Pale on an organ 27 The production team also filmed a scene at a Phibsborough bus depot the location was used to depict Jimmy convincing Deco Strong to become a part of the band A walkway where Jimmy discusses his plan to form a band with Outspan and Derek was filmed at the Kilbarrack D A R T Station 27 Principal photography concluded in mid October 1990 after 53 days of filming 11 18 Music edit The Commitments does not have an original film score but features existing music tracks Music supervisor G Marq Roswell spent several months during the film s pre production listening to and categorizing hundreds of R amp B songs before travelling to Dublin Ireland to help Parker finalize songs that would be used in the film 28 Parker and Roswell had created a short list of 1 000 possible song choices 29 From May to June 1990 Parker had listened to more than 300 songs from the 1960s before narrowing his choices down to 75 songs The finished film features 68 different musical cues and 52 songs 24 songs were chosen by the director to be performed by the cast 11 Roswell also organized and oversaw the recording sessions 28 The songs were recorded live on set as Parker wanted to capture the reality of the band s rehearsals and performances 11 The filmmakers used out of phase speakers which enabled them to play pre recorded tracks at maximum volume creating a live performance atmosphere Each song was then recorded onto a 24 track recorder 11 Soundtracks editThe Commitments Original Motion Picture Soundtrack nbsp Soundtrack albumReleased13 August 1991GenreSoul amp movie musicalLength46 16LabelMCAProducerPaul Bushnell Kevin Killen Alan Parker A motion picture soundtrack album with music produced by Kevin Killen and Paul Bushnell was released on 13 August 1991 by MCA Records 30 The soundtrack features fourteen songs most of which appeared in various scenes in the film Niamh Kavanagh performed as both a lead and backing vocalist in songs such as Destination Anywhere and Do Right Woman Do Right Man 30 The soundtrack album was a commercial success reaching the number one position of the New Zealand Albums Chart 31 It also reached number one on the Australian Album Chart and was certified 5 platinum 32 The Commitments was present for a total of 76 weeks on the Billboard 200 and peaked at number 8 33 AllMusic s Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album a bit generic 34 while Robert Christgau called it a cross between The Big Chill and The Blues Brothers with performers who sacrifice idiosyncrasy for competence 35 After the commercial success of the first soundtrack album a follow up entitled The Commitments Vol 2 Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on 17 March 1992 The album included four more songs from the film as well as seven additional songs performed by the cast 36 The soundtrack proved less successful than the previous release peaking at number 118 on the Billboard 200 chart 37 The second volume also reached number six on the Australian Album Chart and was certified gold 32 Billy Altman writing for Entertainment Weekly awarded the album a B praising the performers for sounding more mature and together on their seven newly recorded cover versions here than on four left over from the film 38 Erlewine in his review for AllMusic awarded the album three stars out of five and described it as being plain and forgettable 39 According to The Daily Telegraph the soundtrack has sold 12 million copies worldwide 20 In 2007 Geffen Records released a 2 CD Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack which collects The Commitments Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and The Commitments Vol 2 Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack as well as five tracks from cast member Andrew Strong s 1993 solo album Strong The Commitments Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 1991 No TitleWriter s Original artistLength1 Mustang Sally Mack RiceWilson Pickett4 022 Take Me to the River Al Green Mabon Teenie HodgesAl Green3 363 Chain of Fools Don CovayAretha Franklin2 584 The Dark End of the Street Dan Penn Chips MomanJames Carr2 345 Destination Anywhere Nickolas Ashford Valerie SimpsonThe Marvelettes3 086 I Can t Stand the Rain Ann Peebles Don Bryant Bernard Bernie MillerAnn Peebles3 127 Try a Little Tenderness Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly Harry M WoodsRay Noble Orchestra4 318 Treat Her Right Roy Head and the TraitsRoy Head and the Traits3 359 Do Right Woman Do Right Man Penn MomanAretha Franklin3 1510 Mr Pitiful Redding Steve CropperOtis Redding2 0711 I Never Loved a Man Ronny ShannonAretha Franklin3 0912 In the Midnight Hour Pickett CropperWilson Pickett2 2113 Bye Bye Baby Mary WellsMary Wells3 2114 Slip Away William Armstrong Marcus Daniel Wilbur TerrellClarence Carter4 27 The Commitments Vol 2 Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack nbsp Soundtrack albumReleased17 March 1992GenreSoul amp movie musicalLength35 53LabelMCAProducerPaul Bushnell Kevin Killen The Commitments Vol 2 Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 1992 No TitleWriter s Original artistLength1 Hard to Handle Allen Jones Al Bell Otis ReddingOtis Redding2 232 Grits Ain t Groceries Titus TurnerLittle Milton3 443 I Thank You Isaac Hayes David PorterSam amp Dave3 404 That s the Way Love Is Norman Whitfield Barrett StrongMarvin Gaye4 085 Show Me Joe TexJoe Tex2 566 Saved Jerry Leiber and Mike StollerLaVern Baker2 547 Too Many Fish in the Sea Whitfield Eddie HollandThe Marvelettes2 458 Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa Sad Song Redding Steve CropperOtis Redding2 529 Land of a Thousand Dances Chris KennerChris Kenner3 1610 Nowhere to Run Holland Dozier HollandMartha and the Vandellas3 3911 Bring It On Home to Me Sam CookeSam Cooke3 41 Weekly charts edit The Commitments Chart 1991 92 Peakposition Australian Albums ARIA Charts 40 2 The Commitments Vol 2 Chart 1992 Peakposition Australian Albums ARIA Charts 40 3 Year end charts edit Year end chart performance for the soundtrack Chart 1991 Position Australian Album ARIA 40 16 Chart 1992 Position Australian Album ARIA 40 10 Chart 1993 Position UK Albums OCC 41 86 Year end chart performance for the soundtrack Vol 2 Chart 1992 Position Australian Album ARIA 40 55 Certifications edit The Commitments Region Certification Certified units sales Australia ARIA 42 5 Platinum 350 000 Canada Music Canada 43 2 Platinum 200 000 New Zealand RMNZ 44 Platinum 15 000 Sweden GLF 45 Gold 50 000 United Kingdom BPI 46 3 Platinum 900 000 United States RIAA 47 2 Platinum 2 000 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone The Commitments Vol 2 Region Certification Certified units sales Australia ARIA 48 Gold 35 000 New Zealand RMNZ 49 Gold 7 500 United Kingdom BPI 50 Gold 100 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone Release editStrategy edit 20th Century Fox felt that The Commitments would attract young adult audiences but test screenings indicated that the film would appeal more to older viewers due to its musical content 1 Parker a former advertising executive collaborated with the studio on the film s marketing running an extensive campaign to attract the intended target audience 1 Theatrical posters for the film were distributed to exhibitors in February 1991 Beginning in April 1991 Fox arranged several screenings in Toronto New York City San Francisco Los Angeles and Chicago with audience members being music industry executives journalists disc jockeys and club owners 1 In August 1991 the studio hosted a press junket in Dublin Ireland for several media outlets 1 51 The Commitments premiered at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood California on 6 August 1991 1 the Cinerama Dome Theatre in Hollywood on 7 August 1991 1 52 the Cineplex Odeon Century Plaza Cinemas in Century City Los Angeles on 13 August 1991 53 and the Savoy Cinema in Dublin Ireland on 19 September 1991 54 Fox gave The Commitments a platform release which involved opening the film in select cities before expanding distribution in the following weeks The film had a limited release in New York City Los Angeles and Ireland on 14 August 1991 and expanded to Toronto San Francisco and Chicago on 16 August 1991 1 The film was released nationwide in North America on 13 September 1991 and Ireland on 4 October 1991 55 56 The English based studio Sovereign Pictures handled distribution outside North America 57 Box office edit The Commitments grossed 271 333 on its first week of limited release in North America an average of 33 916 per theater 58 The film grossed an additional 268 653 in its second weekend with an overall domestic gross of 775 824 58 More theaters were added in its third week the film grossed an additional 1 366 223 from 104 theatres which was a 409 increase from its second weekend 58 The following week the film was released to a total of 555 theaters in the United States and Canada It grossed 2 511 091 securing the number three position at the domestic box office 58 The film saw a significant drop in attendance during the following week the film grossed 1 752 234 a 30 2 overall decrease from the previous weekend 58 After eight weeks of release The Commitments ended its theatrical run with an overall gross of 14 919 570 56 In North America it was the 80th highest grossing film of 1991 59 and the 42nd highest grossing R rated film of that year 60 The film was the highest grossing film in Ireland of all time with a gross of IR 2 23 million 3 5 million 61 62 It grossed 8 285 701 in the UK 8 Home media edit In North America The Commitments was released on VHS on 9 April 1992 by FoxVideo Inc 1 To promote the release FoxVideo distributed 90 000 videocassette copies of a making of featurette to home video retailers The featurette was made available to consumers as a free rental FoxVideo spent an estimated 300 000 on the marketing and an additional 200 000 promoting the featurette using print and broadcast advertising 1 A Region 1 DVD was released on 19 August 2003 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 63 The DVD presents the film in standard definition Special features include a making of featurette a music video for the song Treat Her Right a theatrical trailer and CD sampler that plays four songs from the motion picture soundtrack 63 A two disc special edition DVD was later released on 16 March 2004 63 The first disc presents the film in widescreen and features an audio commentary by Parker Other special features include the theatrical trailer the Treat Her Right music video with optional introductions by Parker and Robert Arkins three featurettes six TV spots for the film four radio spots and a still gallery 63 64 The Commitments was released on Blu ray on 30 August 2016 by RLJ Entertainment coinciding with the film s 25th anniversary 65 The Blu ray presents the film in 1080p high definition and contains all the additional materials found on the Special Edition DVD as well as new interviews with Parker and the cast and a collective booklet featuring production notes written by Parker 66 Reception editCritical response edit The Commitments received mostly positive reviews 1 Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes sampled 48 reviews and gave the film an approval rating of 90 with an average score of 7 4 10 The critical consensus reads The Commitments is a vibrantly funny and blissfully heartfelt ode to the power of music 67 It is also ranked sixth on the website s best reviewed films of 1991 68 On Metacritic the film has a score of 73 out of 100 based on reviews from 23 critics indicating generally favorable reviews 69 Roddy Doyle author of the 1987 novel praised the film stating that Parker and the filmmakers did a terrific job 70 Variety magazine called the film well executed and original and praised the performances as well as the editing by Gerry Hambling 71 Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader wrote If Parker can t resist the occasional fancy or cutesy flourishes that tend to compromise his work he still allows his material to exist on its own level and makes it fun to watch 72 Hal Hinson of The Washington Post described the film as a deadly funny movie nearly every scene is broken off with a punch line But Parker s sense of comedy is organic he never lets the jokes elbow the characters or the music out of the spotlight 73 Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times also praised Parker s direction writing Parker has loosened up quite a bit here not forcing the action as much as he did in the similar Fame and bringing a surprisingly loony touch to characters like Jimmy s Elvis obsessed father 74 Time magazine reviewer Richard Corliss wrote The film offers no message no solutions only a great time at the movies 75 Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times wrote that the film was filled with life and energy and the music is honest 76 On the syndicated television program Siskel amp Ebert At the Movies Ebert gave the film a Thumbs Up rating while his colleague Gene Siskel gave the film a Thumbs Down 77 Siskel writing for the Chicago Tribune felt that the film was a joyful but empty mixture of Irish kids and black American soul music 78 In his review for Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman criticized the overall premise as being downright insulting explaining In Parker s hands soul music becomes little more than a self serving metaphor an easy symbol for commitment and integrity 79 Peter Travers of Rolling Stone criticized the storytelling writing in his review the predictable way in which the band s nine men and three women argue about music sex and fame robs the story of urgency 80 Janet Maslin of The New York Times stated The Commitments becomes repetitive after a while since so much of it is about the group s stage show and since the effort to create an off stage story never really works 81 David Denby of New York Magazine felt that the film has a raspy surface authenticity and a great deal of affection for its characters and milieu but not much dramatic interest 82 Accolades edit The Commitments received various awards and nominations in categories ranging from recognition of the film itself to its writing direction editing and sound to the supporting performance of Andrew Strong In September 1990 the film debuted at the 4th Tokyo International Film Festival where it competed for the Tokyo Grand Prix Award 83 and was nominated for the Best Director Award with Parker winning in the latter category 84 In January 1992 the film received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy though it failed to win the award at the 49th Golden Globe Awards losing to the animated feature Beauty and the Beast 85 On 19 February 1992 86 The Commitments received one Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing but lost to JFK at the 64th Academy Awards ceremony on 30 March 1992 87 At the 45th British Academy Film Awards the film received six nominations and won four for Best Film Best Direction Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing 88 List of awards and nominations Award Category Nominees Result 64th Academy Awards 87 Best Film Editing Gerry Hambling Nominated 49th Golden Globe Awards 85 Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated 45th British Academy Film Awards 88 Best Film Won Best Direction Alan Parker Won Best Adapted Screenplay Dick Clement Ian La Frenais Roddy Doyle Won Best Editing Gerry Hambling Won Best Supporting Actor Andrew Strong Nominated Best Sound Clive Winter Eddy Joseph Andy Nelson Tom Perry Steve Pederson Nominated 34th Australian Film Institute Awards 89 Best Foreign Film Roger Randall Cutler Lynda Myles Nominated 1992 Brit Awards 90 Best Soundtrack Won 1991 Evening Standard British Film Awards 91 Peter Sellers Award for Comedy Dick Clement Ian La Frenais Roddy Doyle Won 12th London Film Critics Circle Awards 92 British Producer of the Year Roger Randall Cutler Lynda Myles Won British Director of the Year Alan Parker Won British or Irish Screenwriter of the Year Dick Clement Ian La Frenais Roddy Doyle Won 1992 Writers Guild of America Awards 93 Best Adapted Screenplay Dick Clement Ian La Frenais Roddy Doyle Nominated 4th Tokyo International Film Festival 83 84 Tokyo Grand Prix Award Nominated Best Director Award Alan Parker WonLegacy and aftermath edit nbsp Clockwise from top left Siblings Andrea Caroline Jim and Sharon Corr achieved international stardom with their band The Corrs after the film s release The Commitments has gained cult status 94 and is regarded as one of the best Irish films 95 96 An image of four of the actors in character was on an Irish postage stamp as part of the Ireland 1996 Irish Cinema Centenary series issued by An Post the image includes lead singer Deco Cuffe Andrew Strong along with the three Commitmentettes Imelda Quirke Angeline Ball Natalie Murphy Maria Doyle Kennedy and Bernie McGloughlin Bronagh Gallagher 97 In 1999 the British Film Institute ranked the film at number 38 on its list of the 100 best British films of the century based on votes from 1 000 leading figures of the film industry 95 In 2005 a poll conducted by Jameson and The Dubliner ranked The Commitments the Best Irish Film of All time based on 10 000 votes 96 Following the film s release the novel also gained popularity becoming Doyle s most well known work which the author resented I dismissed The Commitments for a long long time to the extent I forgot I had anything to do with it he said 98 Many of the actors went on to pursue various acting and musical careers 20 Robert Arkins signed a record deal with MCA Records in 1993 99 although he did not finish recording the consequent album 100 He has produced work for a number of commercial clients television projects and composed music for two short films 20 Andrew Strong went on to produce several albums which he described as having elements of R amp B and rock He has performed alongside The Rolling Stones Elton John and Ray Charles and formed his own band The Bone Yard Boys in 2003 101 In 1993 two of the film s cast members Kenneth McCluskey and Dick Massey formed their own tribute act band The Stars from the Commitments The 9 piece band has since played more than 1 000 shows worldwide and has played with B B King James Brown and Wilson Pickett 20 102 Siblings Andrea Jim Sharon and Caroline Corr who had minor supporting roles had only recently formed their family quartet performing in their aunt s pub as The Corrs the film s music coordinator John Hughes noticed them when they auditioned for the film and agreed to become their manager 103 The band has since achieved international stardom releasing six studio albums and selling more than 60 million records worldwide 20 Andrea would again collaborate with Parker on his 1996 film adaptation of the musical Evita 11 104 Glen Hansard continued performing with his band The Frames and achieved greater success and critical acclaim with the 2005 film Once 20 Bronagh Gallagher has since enjoyed a lengthy acting career in film and television and Maria Doyle Kennedy has to date released eleven studio albums and has gone on to become an award winning actress 11 Michael Aherne is the only cast member to have not pursued an acting career after the film s release 20 On 6 October 2010 it was announced that Strong Arkins Ball Gallagher Aherne Hansard Felim Gormley and Dave Finnegan would join The Stars from The Commitments for a reunion tour to celebrate the film s 20th anniversary 105 Donations from every ticket sold were given to the Irish Cancer Society with a goal of raising 30 000 105 The cast performed at The Royal Theatre in Castlebar County Mayo on 14 March 2011 Ireland s National Events Centre INEC in Killarney County Kerry on 15 March 2011 The Odyssey in Belfast on 17 March 2011 and The O2 in Dublin on 19 March 2011 105 The Barrytown Trilogy edit Main article The Barrytown Trilogy nbsp Colm Meaney has appeared in all three films based on Doyle s Barrytown Trilogy of novels The Commitments is the first book in Doyle s series known as The Barrytown Trilogy followed by The Snapper 1990 and The Van 1991 While all three novels focus on the Rabbitte family Doyle expressed that he was not interested in writing or producing sequels to the 1991 film adaptation stating I hope it s never made I just think that whereas The Commitments was very much a labour of love Commitments 2 is definitely an act of cynicism 70 Doyle was given creative freedom by the BBC over the adaptation of The Snapper for which he wrote the screenplay 70 Lynda Myles returned to produce the film and hired Stephen Frears as its director 106 Colm Meaney returned in a supporting role The adaptation was originally planned as a television film before Frears suggested that it be transferred to film Doyle disagreed with the change stating I didn t like it on the big screen I thought it was grainy 106 The Snapper 1993 premiered at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival where it received a standing ovation 106 It was a critical success receiving largely positive reviews 107 For the film adaptation of The Van Doyle and Myles formed their own production company Deadly Films and the author was given creative control over the selection of its cast and director 108 Frears returned as director and Meaney was cast in the lead role Although The Van 1996 premiered at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival to some favorable reviews critical reaction was negative upon release reviewers criticized the film for its thin material and lack of strong characterization 109 Cancelled sequel edit In January 2000 it was announced that Harvey Weinstein had acquired the film rights to the novel for Miramax 1 and commissioned playwright Warren Leight to write a direct sequel to The Commitments with Cathy Konrad attached as a producer The premise involved several members of The Commitments pairing with new band members before going on tour in the United States 110 The sequel was never produced 111 Stage production edit Main article The Commitments musical Doyle s novel inspired a 2013 musical stage production directed by British theatre director Jamie Lloyd 112 113 Following the film s success Doyle had previously turned down offers to adapt his novel into a stage production 98 114 The Commitments began previews on 21 September 2013 in London s West End at the Palace Theatre Its official opening night was on 8 October 2013 115 The show had more than 1 000 performances before officially closing in London on 1 November 2015 It has been announced that a United Kingdom and Ireland tour will commence in 2017 116 See also editBFI Top 100 British filmsReferences editCitations edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o AFI Catalog American Film Institute Retrieved 20 July 2018 Groves Don 3 May 1993 Beacon J amp M pact for pix Variety Retrieved 5 December 2021 The Commitments 15 British Board of Film Classification 10 July 1991 Retrieved 7 January 2015 a b Rockett 1996 p 200 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Gritten David 11 August 1991 MOVIES Irish Soul How Alan Parker drew upon the working class kids of Dublin to power his movie The Commitments about a fictional Irish band Los Angeles Times Retrieved 18 November 2010 a b Pettitt 1992 p 35 a b Ryan Tom 25 September 1991 Surprise A musical without the schmaltz The Age Melbourne p 25 a b Back to the Future The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s An Information Briefing PDF British Film Institute 2005 p 20 The Commitments Movie Information The Commitments Archived from the original on 17 November 2007 Retrieved 15 September 2019 Looking back at THE COMMITMENTS 25 Years Later with author co screenwriter Roddy Doyle Lower East Side Tenement Museum 29 January 2016 Retrieved 4 January 2017 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Parker Alan The Commitments The Making of the Film Alan Parker com Retrieved 28 August 2015 a b c This Distracted Globe Film reviews and commentary tonight before I forget tomorrow This Distracted Globe Retrieved 4 January 2017 Vanderknyff Rick 10 January 1992 Producer Remembers His Prior Commitments Lecture Roger Randall Cutler tells a UC Irvine audience that he s rather disappointed with film s performance in the U S Los Angeles Times Retrieved 18 November 2010 Monaco 1992 p 33 White 2001 p 33 a b c Daly Susan 7 October 2010 7 deadly things you may not know about The Commitments The Daily Edge Retrieved 4 July 2016 Parker Alan Audio commentary forThe Commitments DVD 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment a b c d e f Gonthier amp O Brien 2015 p 201 Monaghan John 23 February 2016 Commitments actor Johnny Murphy has died The Irish News Retrieved 4 July 2016 a b c d e f g h Kendall Paul 29 September 2013 Whatever happened to The Commitments The Telegraph Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 4 July 2016 In Conversation with Bronagh Gallagher The Arts Show Programme United Kingdom BBC 7 March 2013 Recommitted The Commitments star on why she shuns the limelight Irish Independent 20 February 2011 Retrieved 4 July 2016 Stewart Ken 13 June 1992 Lively Irish Music Business Has Thriving Export Industry Billboard Vol 104 p 84 Retrieved 4 July 2016 Duerden Nick 3 October 2015 Glen Hansard interview The singer songwriter on finding fame in The Commitments and Once The Independent Retrieved 4 July 2016 Harris Will 4 November 2011 Colm Meaney Random Roles The A V Club Retrieved 4 July 2016 Lesko 2011 p 136 a b c d e f Film locations for The Commitments 1991 Retrieved 5 September 2015 a b 35 Sound 35Sound com Retrieved 4 July 2016 Flatum Jerry 17 January 2003 The Story Leads the Dance An Interview with music supervisor G Marq Roswell The Muse s Muse Retrieved 4 July 2016 a b Commitments Soundtrack CD Album CD Universe Retrieved 4 July 2016 Ultratop The Commitments Ultratop Retrieved 21 August 2011 a b Ryan Gavin 2011 Australia s Music Charts 1988 2010 pdf ed Mt Martha VIC Australia Moonlight Publishing The Commitments Chart history Billboard Retrieved 4 July 2016 The Commitments Soundtrack Review All Music Retrieved 4 July 2016 Christgau Robert 3 December 1991 Consumer Guide Turkey Shoot The Village Voice New York Retrieved 1 January 2013 Commitments Vol 2 Soundtrack CD Album CD Universe Retrieved 4 July 2016 The Commitments The Commitments Vol 2 Billboard Retrieved 21 August 2011 Altman Billy 27 March 1992 The Commitments Vol 2 Entertainment Weekly Retrieved 4 July 2016 The Commitments Vol 2 Original Soundtrack AllMusic Retrieved 4 July 2016 a b c d e Ryan Gavin 2011 Australia s Music Charts 1988 2010 PDF ed Mt Martha Victoria Australia Moonlight Publishing p 64 Top 100 Albums 1993 PDF Music Week 15 January 1994 p 25 Retrieved 20 April 2022 ARIA Charts Accreditations 1993 Albums PDF Australian Recording Industry Association Canadian album certifications Various Artists The Commitments Music Canada Retrieved 28 January 2023 New Zealand album certifications Various The Commitments OST Recorded Music NZ Retrieved 28 January 2023 Guld och Platinacertifikat Ar 1987 1998 PDF in Swedish IFPI Sweden Archived from the original PDF on 17 May 2011 Retrieved 28 January 2023 British album certifications Commitments The Commitments Ost British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 28 January 2023 American album certifications The Commitments The Commitments Soundtrack Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved 28 January 2023 ARIA Charts Accreditations 1993 Albums PDF Australian Recording Industry Association New Zealand album certifications The Commitments The Commitments Vol 2 Recorded Music NZ Retrieved 28 January 2023 British album certifications Commitments Commitments Vol Ii British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 28 January 2023 Commitments The Hollywood Reporter Vol 318 14 August 1991 p 16 Director Alan Parker attends the premiere of The Commitments at the Cinerama Dome Theater on August 7 1991 in Hollywood California Photo by Ron Galella Ltd WireImage Retrieved 4 July 2016 Director Alan Parker attends the premiere of The Commitments at the WireImage Retrieved 4 July 2016 Dublin Soul City For Commitments Premiere RTE Retrieved 17 December 2016 Cuddihy Tony JOE s Film Flashback The Commitments 1991 Joe Retrieved 29 January 2017 a b The Commitments 1991 Weekend Box Office Results Box Office Mojo Retrieved 4 July 2016 Pecchia David 26 August 1990 Films going into production Los Angeles Times Retrieved 4 July 2016 a b c d e The Commitments 1991 Weekend Box Office Results Box Office Mojo Retrieved 4 July 2016 1991 Yearly Box Office Results Box Office Mojo Retrieved 4 July 2016 1991 Yearly Box Office for R Rated Movies Box Office Mojo Retrieved 4 July 2016 Harris Mike 7 March 1994 Oscar Boosts Films O seas Daily Variety p 38 Ireland flocks to the flicks Screen International 25 April 1997 p 27 a b c d The Commitments 20th Century Fox Full Frame Region 1 NTSC vs 20th Century Fox Collector s Edition Region 1 NTSC Retrieved 4 July 2016 The Commitments Collector s Edition DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video Retrieved 4 July 2016 The Commitments Blu ray 25th Anniversary Edition BluRay com Retrieved 4 July 2016 The Commitments 25th Anniversary Blu ray Release Detailed BluRay com 18 June 2016 Retrieved 4 July 2016 The Commitments 1991 Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Media Retrieved 12 December 2022 Top 100 Movies of 1991 Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Media Retrieved 5 July 2016 The Commitments Reviews Metacritic CBS Interactive Retrieved 25 August 2020 a b c White 2001 p 34 The Commitments Variety January 1991 Retrieved 4 July 2016 Rosenbaum Jonathan 26 October 1985 The Commitments Chicago Reader Retrieved 4 July 2016 Hinson Hal The Commitments R The Washington Post Retrieved 4 July 2016 Turan Kenneth 30 August 1991 MOVIE REVIEW An Irish Soul Lullaby Parker s Commitments an R amp B Rave Up Los Angeles Times Retrieved 6 July 2016 Corliss Richard 26 August 1991 Cinema Dublin Soul Time Vol 138 Ebert Roger The Commitments Movie Review and Film Summary RogerEbert com Retrieved 4 July 2016 Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert 17 August 1991 Siskel and Ebert and the Movies Siskel Gene 16 August 1991 The Commitments Just Another Name For Fame Chicago Tribune Retrieved 4 July 2016 Gleiberman Owen 16 August 1991 The Commitments Entertainment Weekly Retrieved 4 July 2016 Travers Peter 28 August 1991 The Commitments Rolling Stone Retrieved 7 July 2016 Maslin Janet 14 August 1991 Review Film How American Soul Music Conquered Dublin The New York Times Retrieved 4 July 2016 Denby David 19 August 1991 Dubliners New York Magazine p 50 Retrieved 4 July 2016 a b Tokyo International Film Festival Line up Retrieved 4 July 2016 a b Tokyo International Outline Retrieved 4 July 2016 a b Winners amp Nominees 1992 Golden Globes Hollywood Foreign Press Association Retrieved 4 July 2016 Weinraub Bernard 20 February 1992 Bugsy a Big Winner In Oscar Nominations Rife With Surprise The New York Times Retrieved 4 July 2016 a b The 64th Academy Awards 1992 Nominees and Winners Oscars org Retrieved 4 July 2016 a b Film in 1992 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Retrieved 4 July 2016 AFI Past Winners amp Nominees 1992 Australian Film Institute Retrieved 4 July 2016 Brit awards winners list 2013 every winner since 1977 The Guardian 21 February 2013 Retrieved 4 July 2016 Evening Standard British Film Awards 1990 2001 Evening Standard 10 April 2012 Retrieved 4 July 2016 Zahradnik Rich 27 February 1992 3 London Film critic Awards Go To Thelma amp Louise Chicago Tribune Retrieved 8 July 2016 Fox David J 23 March 1992 Writers Give the Nod to Lambs Awards Best adapted screenplay trophy helps film get another edge up in the very tight race for best picture Oscar Los Angeles Times Retrieved 4 July 2016 Are these the best cult Irish films ever TheJournal ie 30 May 2013 Retrieved 29 January 2017 a b Best 100 British films BBC News 23 September 1999 Retrieved 4 July 2016 a b Top Ten Irish Movies of all Time Retrieved 4 July 2016 Ireland 1996 Irish Cinema Centenary Emerald Isle Gifts original stamps from An Post 17 September 1996 Archived from the original on 29 November 2014 Retrieved 4 July 2016 a b Brown Mark 23 April 2013 The Commitments to be turned into West End musical The Guardian Retrieved 4 July 2016 Artist Profile Robert Arkins My Music Source Retrieved 4 July 2016 Martin Paul 26 November 2001 Soul searching 10 years on The Mirror Dougherty Tara October November 2009 Andrew Strong Life After The Commitments Irish America Retrieved 6 July 2016 The Stars From The Commitments featuring Kenneth McCluskey and Dick Massey Retrieved 4 July 2016 The Biography Channel The Corrs biography The Biography Channel Archived from the original on 29 May 2007 Retrieved 15 September 2019 Thriller role for Corrs vocalist BBC News 19 September 2005 Retrieved 6 July 2016 a b c The Commitments announce reunion tour State 6 October 2010 Retrieved 7 July 2016 a b c White 2001 p 35 The Snapper 1993 Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved 7 July 2016 White 2001 pp 35 36 White 2001 p 36 Fleming Michael 3 January 2000 Commitments encore gets Leight touch Variety Variety Media LLC Retrieved 4 July 2016 Flowers Phoebe 9 December 2007 Gone Hollywood yes that one and the other one SunSentinel Retrieved 4 July 2016 Brown Mark 23 April 2013 Commitments West End The Guardian London The Commitments to be turned into musical by Roddy Doyle after novel and film success Daily Mirror 23 April 2013 Retrieved 4 July 2016 Roddy Doyle on The Commitments musical irishpost co uk The Irish Post 24 April 2013 Retrieved 4 July 2016 Brown Mark 4 July 2016 Commitments West End The Guardian London The Commitments to close in November WhatsOnStage com 21 May 2015 Retrieved 4 July 2016 Bibliography edit Gonthier David F Jr O Brien Timothy L May 2015 11 The Commitments 1991 The Films of Alan Parker 1976 2003 United States McFarland amp Company ISBN 978 0 7864 9725 6 Lesko Lou 2011 15 Crafting the Story Photocine Digital Filmmaking with DSLRs United States Nelson Education ISBN 978 1 4354 5737 9 Monaco James 1992 The Movie Guide United States Perigee Group ISBN 978 0 7864 9725 6 Pettitt Lance 1992 Screening Ireland Film and Television Representation England Manchester University Press p 41 ISBN 978 0 7190 5270 5 Rockett Ken 1996 The Irish Filmography Fiction Films 1896 1996 Ireland Red Mountain Press p 200 White Caramine 2001 Reading Roddy Doyle United States Syracuse University Press ISBN 978 0 8156 2887 3 External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to The Commitments The Commitments at AlanParker com The Commitments at IMDb nbsp The Commitments at Box Office Mojo The Commitments at Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Commitments film amp oldid 1219928152, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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