Agnes Browne

When you're a widowed mother of seven living in Dublin, putting food on the table can seem just as impossible as attending Tom Jones in concert (since it's 1967, this is a normal desire). And so the sturdy Agnes Browne greets one challenge after another, struggling to keep herself and a derelict kid out of debt to a local loan shark, facing the reality of her best friend's terminal illness. Anjelica Huston's film is based on a bestselling Irish novel; she herself stars as the title character, hurdling each obstacle with wit and charm (and the aid of a few pints of Guinness). Throw in the some old Catholic sexual-innocence jokes (even after having seven kids, Agnes has never had an "organism" during sex) and the well-timed use of the f-word (it's so funny with that accent) and you've got a middle-aged mum's fluffy coming-of-age story. Like Agnes, the film tries to accomplish too much in too little time. By the time her dream comes true, I was already fast asleep.

-- Leslie Robarge