Director: Stephen Burke
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Sinead Maguire, Tom Riley and Jade Yourell
Distributor: Hopscotch Films
Runtime: 104 mins. Reviewed in Nov 2011

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Rating notes:

Lots of Irish films these days – and lots of blarney. This one, as the title suggests, has quite some unhappiness now rather than happy ever afters. It takes place over one day and shows us two weddings. One is a Green Card affair with a marriage to help a migrant from Africa stay in Ireland. The other is a second attempt after one of the parties has spent some time in an institution and in therapy.

At first we think we are seeing the two central characters who are to marry each other. Then we find that there are the two weddings, with all the hesitations, reluctance and pressures to go through with the ceremony. Both parties arrive at the same hotel and some mix-ups, some funny, some corny, and a whole lot of misunderstandings lead to what looks as if it is going to be unhappy every afters.

Happy Go Lucky’s Sally Hawkins is the bride for the migrant. Tom Riley is going through the second time around with his marriage.

This is the kind of film that, if you happened to catch it on television or saw it on DVD, might be an amusing but undemanding watch.