Pierce true to his roots

Made by Pierce Brosnan's production company, Irish DreamTime, this is based on the true story of Desmond Doyle, who is left momentarily holding the babies when his wife walks out.

It being Ireland in the 1950s, the children are soon taken away from him and sent to different Catholic care homes. So Doyle begins his long battle through the courts to retrieve them.

Insofar as it launches an attack on certain Catholic institutions in Ireland, Evelyn complements Peter Mullan's far more abrasive The Magdalene Sisters. Bruce Beresford's film, however, is relatively benign and focuses more on Doyle's struggle to pull himself together and seek the right kind of assistance in the courts.

As Doyle, Brosnan holds the centre of the film with a performance of roguishly faded charm. Unemployed and succumbing to the drink, Doyle is neither victim nor saint. His attempt to raise money by singing in pubs is particularly well judged, especially as Brosnan's singing voice is plaintive and far from robust. He portrays Doyle as a potential idler and dreamer who is hauled into manhood and responsibility by his plight. In the giant shadow cast by James Bond, it is a performance of nuanced subtlety.

While Beresford may occasionally over-egg the warm glow of the period, it is a relief not to have to suffer the saturated Irish miserabilism of, say, Angela's Ashes. His first priority is to tell the story with as much clarity and as little clutter as possible. It's a decision that allows the ensemble cast to shine.

Julianna Margulies as the sympathetic barmaid with whom Doyle forms an attachment, Alan Bates as retired Irish legal legend Thomas Connolly and Stephen Rea as an anglicised solicitor are all uniformly fine. Also excellent is the relatively under-used Aidan Quinn as the American lawyer Nick Barron, whose rivalry with Doyle for the attentions of Margulies is brilliantly conveyed.

Little Sophie Vavasseur as the eponymous Evelyn, the eldest of Doyle's children, has her moment in the witness box and delivers with just the right balance of charm and cheek.

A decent, honourable movie told in a decent, straightforward manner. Who among us should have a problem with that?

Evelyn
Cert: certPG