Search - The Commitments

"The Irish are the blacks of Europe, Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland, and the North Siders are the blacks of Dublin ... so say it loud -- I'm black and I'm proud!" Or so Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins) tells his slightly puzzled friends as he tries to assemble a rhythm & blues show band in a working class community in Dublin in Alan Parker's film The Commitments. Jimmy is a would-be music business wheeler and dealer, and he's decided what Dublin needs is a top-shelf soul band. However, top-shelf soul musicians are hard to find in Dublin, so he has to make do with what he can find. However, after a long round of auditions, Jimmy makes two inspired discoveries: Deco (Andrew Strong), an abrasive and alcoholic streetcar conductor who nevertheless has a voice like the risen ghost of Otis Redding, and Joey "The Lips" Fagan (Johnny Murphy), a horn player who knows soul music backwards and forwards and claims to have played with everyone from Wilson Pickett to Elvis Presley. Before long, the band -- called the Commitments -- is packing them in at local clubs. But do they have what it takes to make the big time? Based on the novel by Roddy Doyle, who also co-wrote the screenplay, The Commitments is sparked by fine performances by its young cast and enthusiastic performances of a number of '60s soul classics; the cast, who play their own instruments, reassembled the band for a concert tour after the film became a hit. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Robert Arkins - Jimmy Rabbitte
Michael Aherne - Steven Clifford
Angeline Ball - Imelda Quirke
Maria Doyle Kennedy - Natalie Murphy
Dave Finnegan - Mickah Wallace
Johnny Murphy - Joey "The Lips" Fagan

1991	David Lean Award (winner)	British Academy of Film and Television	Alan Parker
1991	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Andrew Strong
1992	Best Adapted Screenplay (winner)	British Academy of Film and Television	Ian La Frenais
1992	Best Adapted Screenplay (winner)	British Academy of Film and Television	Roddy Doyle
1991	Best Editing (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Gerry Hambling

These movies have the touch and feel of The Commitments...
4	The Waterdance (R)
7	Tin Men (R)
2	Mistress (R)
2	Hangin' With the Homeboys (R)
9	Slacker [Criterion Collection]
4	The Chocolate War (R)
11	School Daze [Widescreen/Fullscreen] (R)
4	Hollywood Shuffle (R)
3	Lost in America (R)
8	House Party 2: The Pajama Jam! (R)
109	What About Bob? (PG)
35	Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (PG)
4	Tex [Widescreen/Fullscreen] (PG)
3	Harry and Tonto (R)
21	Grand Canyon (R)
These movies have the subject or theme of The Commitments...
4	New York, New York [Special Edition] (PG)
3	Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (R)
21	Postcards from the Edge (R)
8	Sweet Dreams (PG-13)
1	The Idolmaker (PG)
7	Great Balls of Fire! (PG-13)
11	The Jazz Singer (PG)
22	A Chorus Line (PG-13)
10	A Star Is Born
5	The Five Heartbeats (R)
5	The Tall Guy (R)
18	The Rose (R)
12	A Star is Born (R)
S	Sparkle [CD/DVD] (PG)
S	Ginger and Fred (PG-13)
These movies share cast/crew with The Commitments...
20	Fame (R)
2	Come See the Paradise (R)
3	The Snapper (R)
3	Bugsy Malone
5	The Road to Wellville (R)
1	Shoot the Moon (R)
1	Into the West (PG)
3	Birdy (R)
45	Far and Away (PG-13)
17	Pink Floyd: The Wall [Special Edition]
19	Mississippi Burning (R)
20	Angel Heart (R)
12	Midnight Express [Fullscreen/Widescreen] (R)
3	Water (PG-13)
49	The Last of the Mohicans [Director's Cut] (R)
These movies cover the same subjects as The Commitments...
3	The Snapper (R)
S	Flame (PG)
These movies are similar to The Commitments...
3	The Rutles: All You Need is Cash (NR)
20	Fame (R)
5	The Five Heartbeats (R)
2	Backbeat (R)
7	Brassed Off! (R)
29	That Thing You Do (PG)
51	The Full Monty (R)
7	Still Crazy (R)
21	Billy Elliot [Widescreen] (R)
84	Almost Famous (R)
7	Greenfingers (R)
41	Rock Star (R)
4	24 Hour Party People (R)