Okay, so my entire family is in town  – parents, sister, nephews, brother etc., so this post is going to be a quickie.  You know how sometimes your brain is too fried to cozy up to a good book and you just want to watch something delicious that comforts you? Well, I have two Irish inspired treats– one for the more refined palette and one for those of you like me who can suspend disbelief and just watch something because it’s soothing/silly/feel good but not necessarily realistic.  Also, you should know that I have a soft spot for all things Irish and may be a bit biased as I married a Belfast Man — here we are near Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland about 15 years ago. So here we go…

Brooklyn (2015, starring Saorise Ronan, PG-13)

I saw this movie in the theater with some of the members of my fabulous Houston based book club.  We loved it.  It is a simply beautifully filmed story about a young woman torn between her love of Ireland and her family there (mother and sister) and her burgeoning love of America and her new life and love here.  The movie is set primarily in Brooklyn in the 1950s but there are lots of scenes at the beginning and near the end of the film that take place in Ireland.  Ronan portrays a young woman with her whole life ahead of her who must make some difficult choices that many of us will be able to relate to…Should she settle down in the hometown she grew up in and marry the man who fits into that life seamlessly or should she follow an unchartered path and marry someone different than anyone she has ever known and start a life in a new place where she is anonymous?  The answers to that question are not easy but the film takes us on a slow, beautifully paced journey with Ronan allowing us to enjoy the ride and agree with her ultimate choice and destination.

Leap Year (2010, starring Amy Adams, PG)

So, in the interest of full disclosure, some critics panned this movie as being unrealistic in terms of its description of Ireland, Wales, Irish accents, romance and culture.  That said, I still loved it.  I recently watched it for the second time with my mom and sister and could have easily watched it with my tween and teen daughters (and how many movies can one say that about anymore?).  Anyway, in this movie, Adams plays the tightly wound, always planning, Anna Brady, a Boston based stager (for high end real estate) dating the cardiac surgeon man of her dreams.  Her life is perfect except for one thing — for some inexplicable reason, said heart surgeon has yet to propose despite four years of happy coupledom.   Enter the Leap Year plot — Anna (who is of Irish descent) is informed by her father that her grandmother actually took the liberty of proposing to her grandfather on leap year when they were living in Ireland and that was an expected and acceptable convention at that time and even today.  Heart Surgeon is at a conference in Dublin when Anna is told this story and so off she goes…the glitch? Her flight doesn’t land in Ireland due to bad weather, but rather in Wales and she has to somehow get to Dublin in 2 days by February 29 or miss her window to propose.  Enter a handsome pub owner and taxi driver played by Matthew Goode who is all about living every moment of life to the fullest and not planning because you never know what tragedy could happen next.  I won’t give away the entire plot but the journey that Anna and Declan (Goode’s character) go on is charming and funny and filled with beautiful, scenic Ireland in the background and Adams and Goode have great chemistry for a rom com.  This is a great movie for a lazy Sunday afternoon folding laundry or when you are home feeling icky….nothing too heavy but again addresses a relatable theme/question – which is better, the planned or the unplanned life? Enjoy and as always, feedback on my picks is welcomed!