By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Neil Jordan
Starring: Brendan Gleeson | Cillian Murphy | Liam Neeson | Ruth Negga | Stephen Rea
Country: ireland, united_kingdom
Year: 2005
Running time: 135
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411195/combined
Hilary says: “Neil Jordan’s latest film BREAKFAST ON PLUTO is anchored by an excellent performance by Cillian Murphy as Patrick ‘Kitten’ Braden. Kitten’s mission in life is to leave life in his sleepy Irish village behind and go in search of the elegant mother (‘the image of Mitzi Gaynor’) who abandoned the infant Patrick on the steps of the local rectory.
“As his nickname indicates, Kitten is a preening, delicate young man who prefers home economics to P.E., and uses his beautiful blue eyes (which were terrifying in BATMAN BEGINS) to present the image of a damsel in distress as he flirts with men, much to their consternation. Kitten has few allies among the adults of his village, except for the church rector (Liam Neeson) whom he suspects knows more about Kitten’s history than he lets on.
“After finding himself in trouble one too many times in home and at school, Kitten leaves Ireland for London, the city which ‘swallowed up’ his lovely mum. While searching for his mother, other adventures and mis-adventures follow: touring with Native American-themed glam rock group, an entanglement with the IRA, working at a children’s theme park with a tipsy and combative Brendan Gleeson, a dangerous encounter with a john, assisting magician and father/husband figure The Amazing Albert (Jordan staple Stephen Rea), a scrape with the law, and working in a peepshow. Throughout these challenges, Kitten remains optimistic and romantic and ultimately meets his goal of finding a family.
“As with each Jordan film, the plot is thick with religion, politics, gender issues, drama, humor, and a bit of magic, including a pair of talking robins. While the action is a bit convoluted at times, Murphy is a constant delight; Best Actor nom from me. 4 1/2 cats”
Michael says: “Neil Jordan has been pretty hit and miss with me over the years. I truly enjoyed THE MIRACLE, a little, quirky tale of a teen-aged boy’s search for his birth mother, and the first of his movies that I saw. Soon after, he blew most of our socks off with the remarkably well-crafted THE CRYING GAME. Since then it’s been more erratic, with glossy, Hollywood messes such as INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE; disturbingly unpleasant tales of murderous children such as THE BUTCHER BOY, and powerful deals with god as in THE END OF THE AFFAIR. BREAKFAST ON PLUTO, his second adaptation of a Patrick McCabe novel (the first being THE BUTCHER BOY… not a fact to set my mind at ease), harkens back to the whimsy of THE MIRACLE, while drawing in elements of MONA LISA or THE CRYING GAME. Patrick Brady, or ‘Kitten,’ as he prefers to be called, was left on the church doorstep by his mother when he was an infant. Growing up he never quite clicked with his foster mother, especially after being discovered trying on her dresses and shoes. In his teens he finally flees the small Irish village of his birth and takes up with a glam-rock band, not-so secretly taking up with the lead singer, even putting in a performance or two as the squaw to his lover’s chief. Yet the ugly realities of reality keep intruding on the fantasies Kitten spins around her life. Everything in Ireland during the 1960’s and 70’s is ‘serious, serious, serious,’ and as Kitten’s friends and lover are involved with the IRA, Kitten finds himself in unpleasant and serious situations more often than he would like. Eventually he packs his bag and heads for London in search of his mother.
“BREAKFAST ON PLUTO is episodic, Kitten falls from one adventure to the next in his quest. Some episodes work better than others, and Kitten’s fantasy about using his style and perfume to save the world from terrorism is a masterful high point. Through it all, Cillian Murphy continues to prove that he’s got that special something that brings him alive on screen. All in all, PLUTO is a bit of a mess, but a well-meaning one. 3 cats.”