“Wild Mountain Thyme” is a romantic drama set in Ireland. There are plenty of green fields and pints of Guinness, but these characters aren’t a particularly happy lot. It’s not the regular rain, or the ever-present crows that are causing the problem. These folks are troubled by matters of the heart.
Not far from the famous Ring of Kerry, there are two farms, side by side. The Muldoons and the Reillys have lived close by for generations, and there’s even a contentious bit of land at the entrance that means there has to be two gates. Emily Blunt plays Rosemary Muldoon, a headstrong and passionate young woman, who’s running the farm since the death of her father. Next door is Anthony Reilly (Jamie Dornan), a young man with his head in the clouds and his foot in his mouth when it comes to Rosemary. Even though they’ve practically grown up together, Anthony is completely unaware that Rosemary is madly in love with him. His social awkwardness is not helping matters. Anthony’s father Tony (Christopher Walken) is disappointed that his son doesn’t share his love of farming and is considering passing on the farm to his nephew Adam Kelly (Jon Hamm), an American who’s been making a successful career in finance in New York City. When Adam pops over for a visit, he uses his charms on Rosemary, inviting her to come over to the Big Apple. With his big city intruder in the village, Anthony feels the pangs of jealousy, and realises his neighbour is the one for him. But has he left his run too late, and while he scours the fields for his mother’s lost ring, his intended might be making plans for a life with someone else?
“Wild Mountain Thyme” is written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, an acclaimed playwright, and the film is based on his play “Outside Mullingar”. This is only the third film that he’s directed, following “Joe Versus the Volcano” in 1990, and the 2008 adaptation of his play “Doubt”. He won an Oscar in 1987 for writing “Moonstruck”, a romantic drama about Italian Americans. There are similar themes of family, tradition, and love in this new film, except the action has been transplanted to Ireland. It’s also a much less subtle affair than that 80s award winner.
“Wild Mountain Thyme” drowns in its own sense of Irishness, even though it feels less than authentic. Every Irish stereotype is trotted out, from the green fields to the church yards, to the cosy pubs with happy singalongs. Shanley gets his characters to do everything bar kiss the Blarney Stone, and you almost expect the dialogue to consist of “Diddly, diddly”.
The film dials up its whimsy to ten, and it totters a fine line between warm and sentimental. It’s a bit of a stretch to think that these two characters have lived side by side for so long, but still can’t tell each other how they feel. Their behaviour is beyond quirky, it’s downright strange.
There are only three leads in Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, and Christopher Walken, but between them, there are about seven different Irish accents. Walken still sounds like a New York tough, and this is a rare stumble for the usually reliable Emily Blunt. Jamie Dornan probably comes off best, showing a talent for comic timing. Stephen Goldblatt’s camera captures some breathtaking scenery and there’s plenty of tin whistle for Irish music fans.
“Wild Mountain Thyme” has a big heart, and there will be those who are charmed by its simple story and Irish vistas. But ultimately, it’s a big cinematic four-leaf clover that doesn’t quite find its pot of gold.
2/5
Michael Clarke is a presenter with ABC North Queensland. His weekly film reviews are heard locally in Townsville, and nationally around Australia on "Editor's Choice"