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Cillian Murphy,
Cillian Murphy,
Liam Neeson,
more...
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Neil Jordan
see all cast/crew...
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: Sony Pictures
: Drama, Foreign, Gay & Lesbian, Coming of Age , UK, Features
: 129 min.
: English
: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
see additional details...
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An Irish boy becomes an emotional and sexual outcast as the 1960s fade into the 1970s in this period drama from director Neil Jordan. When he was just a baby in the early '60s, Patrick Braden (Conor McEvoy) was abandoned by his mother and left on the doorstep of a church overseen by Father Bernard (Liam Neeson). Placed in a foster home, sensitive Patrick doesn't much care for the emotionally chilly attitude of his new "family," and psychologically buffers himself against the world by writing stories that make fun of Father Bernard and the other authority figures in his life. As he grows into adulthood, Patrick (played as an adult by Cillian Murphy) also discovers that he enjoys dressing in women's clothes and prefers the company of men, and as a teenager he falls into an affair with Billy Hatchet (Gavin Friday), a nightclub performer who also runs guns for the Irish Republican Army. In the early '70s, Patrick -- who has since taken on the drag name "Kitten" -- makes his way to London, where he becomes involved with Bertie (Stephen Rea), a small-time nightclub magician who gives the young man a place to say, a sense of security, and a job as his on-stage assistant. However, Patrick's idyllic life with Bertie proves short-lived when his old friends come to town on IRA "business." Breakfast on Pluto also features a supporting performance from former Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Read GreenCine's exclusive interview with Neil Jordan. With his Breakfast on Pluto now out on disc, Jordan takes us through the fantastic and realist aspects of his oeuvre. Full article >>
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| Engaging, but uneven in places
by shiftless
October 4, 2007 - 3:37 PM PDT
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1 out of 1 members found this review helpful
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| I highly recommend this movie, first off. It's not perfect but so much of it is so well done. My only criticisms are that it was a tad bloated and could have been edited down some. <**MINI-SPOILER AHEAD**> And I wasn't sure if it was meant comically, but every time Kitten found some kind of affection, it would end violently, or in some extreme manner so that by the time the bomb happened, I was laughing at how the script was just dragging this character through the coals, but then it's was obviously supposed to be very serious, as Ireland in those times is a very touchy subject.<**END SPOILER**> So my other criticism really was that this movie couldn't really make the serious and comic side work together as well as it could have. Minor criticisms aside, I think anyone who enjoys top rate acting, writing and cinematography should rent this film. I liked it better than Crying Game too. It's more lyrical. Oh, I also found some thick Irish accents hard to understand and Kitten is too soft at times, maybe I am going deaf or maybe the sound design stunk. |
| Saint Kitten, Indeed (and He's No Candide)!
by talltale
April 19, 2006 - 4:24 PM PDT
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7 out of 8 members found this review helpful
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I guess it was the subject matter--transvestite searches for his mother in IRA-torn Ireland and London--that kept BREAKFAST ON PLUTO out of the mainstream and under the radar of people who profess to like independent film. Too bad, for this tender and unusual movie may be Neil Jordan's best, above even "The Crying Game" or "The Company of Wolves."
If the story sounds too weird, off-putting or dark, the movie is anything but: filled with lightness, charm and a musical score to die for--one that comments beautifully on what's happening and is also a joy to hear. Cillian Murphy could hardly be better in the lead (incapable of hypocrisy, his character combines the best qualities of man and woman), and he's surrounded by a fine ensemble that includes great work from Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson, Ian Hart and Stephen Rea.
Mostly, I think, it's the superb editing and near-perfect transitions that produce a film this special, enabling it to make so many surprising and rich connections. I was hoping for something good, but I'm inclined to think this film may be a great one. I'll watch it again in a few years' time--if I can wait that long--and it will probably hold up just fine. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.40)
93 Votes
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