Countdown to Thirteen: Good Vibrations (2012)

This true story, while set against the more familiar backdrop of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, tells a particular tale I’d never heard of before.  As such, I find the subject and the setting interesting even if, as a movie, it doesn’t entirely work for me.

Music has always been Terri Hooley’s passion, but with the religious and political tension fomenting in Belfast, no one else seems to have time for music these days.  He gets the idea to bring a little purity into people’s lives by opening up a record shop, with the initial aim of introducing reggae to Belfast (he maintains that Jamaica and Northern Ireland have everything except reggae in common.)  However, when he starts to hear local bands from the emrging punk scene, he finds himself with a new mission:  recording and marketing Belfast punk to the world.

With stories like this, there can be a tendency to think of the protagonist as frivolous, spending so much time focused on something like punk rock when people are getting beaten in the streets and the city’s tearing itself apart.  And to be sure, the film makes no bones about the violence and unrest happening while Terri tries to make musicians’ dreams come true.  But I think things like music, and art, and sports, or whatever it is, are important too, and they don’t cease to matter just because more important things are also happening; then, it can be more vital than ever for people to have a means of escape or expressing themselves, something that brings a bit of light to their lives.  So, I like that it’s a story about music thriving against the odds and young people rallying around something that keeps them from feeling voiceless.

What I’m less enthused about is Terri himself.  Since I’d never heard of him before seeing this film but know he’s a real person, I can’t really begrudge the film for him.  But while his story/goal is compelling to me, I’m not really into him as a main character.  His competence at what he does is iffy at best, and he’s the sort of protagonist who seems to get by on a sunshiny optimism that things will work out rather than a well-executed plan.  Yes, sometimes he does get a win, and no, having a lot of failures doesn’t make him an unfit subject for a movie – it’s not that.  It’s that he feels more like a “bless him, he tries” sort of hero, and he creates a lot of havoc for the people around him to deal with as he eagerly jumps from one thing to another, not worrying too much about how it’s actually gonna get done.  That drives me a little crazy.

Richard Dormer plays Terri.  Throughout the film, I tried to place him but ultimately had to turn to IMDb – turns out, he’s in Game of Thrones, where he plays Beric, one of the Brothers without Banners.  And like Perrier’s Bounty, the other Irish film I’ve seen Jodie Whittaker in, the movie features Liam Cunningham in a small role.

Speaking of Whittaker, she plays Ruth, Terri’s wife.  This is another character I’m not overly impressed with, though Whittaker plays her well enough.  I feel like Ruth is a character I’ve seen a billion times before, the love interest of the maverick.  She’s there to cheer on Terri’s dream, to believe in him during the early days when no one else does.  And then, as he becomes increasingly single-minded on his passion and she has to deal with the fallout of his poor planning, she’s there to go, “But what about your family, Terri?” so he can get wistful about how she doesn’t understand what he’s trying to do. 

I wonder how many actresses have played this role, and then how many have played it more than once.  Story after story about men determined to make music, start a company, open a restaurant, solve a case, make art, design clothes, coach a team, etc., etc., etc., and standing beside and slightly behind each of them is a woman to support him until she can’t take it anymore.  If the actress is lucky, her character gets a little agency and time is devoted to her motivations.  And in Whittaker’s case, she doesn’t really get that.  To me, Ruth feels like a stock character through and through, and despite Whittaker’s capable performance, there’s just not enough here.

Accent Watch

Irish!  To my untrained ears, it sounds decent enough.

Recommend?

In General – A tentative maybe.  The history of it is interesting, even if I’m not a fan of Terri as a character.

Jodi Whittaker – I wouldn’t say it’s worth it.  Watching Whittaker in this role, more than anything, I’m frustrated by what she’s given to work with.

Warnings

Violence, language, drinking/smoking/drug use, a little sexual content, and thematic elements.