Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

krissyafite1979 I like the ending in here much better then the book. In the book I think they implied they were just friends in the movie they got back together. Minnie driver is not gorgeous but shes talented. Chris was okay as the rich young man whose pressured to pursue a career hes not sure hes cut out for. The acting is pretty good, the storyline could be seen as boring but the acting and comedy makes it worth it. This was Ireland in the 50s so its a completely different world for some of us. Mini driver wasn't the best role for an overweight woman cause she was not so big, but other then that shes great for the part. The movie wasn't totally true to the book, in the book they met nan in college in the movie they knew her since childhood, and they made what they called confirmation but American catholics call it communion, not sure if it was a mistake or Ireland uses the word confirmation for that event. Like in the book, Benny was expected to marry the man who worked in the fathers shop who was going to take over the business. I don't know why They would rather her marry a poor shop owner who will only have money cause he was left the shop, over a doctor. So the the family might not carry on the family business when t the parents aren't around, its not like its the family name not carried, its a shop. Weird to me.

blackberrybabe I was glad to see Chris O'Donnell in this movie. He did this to show the Irish side of him. As an Irishwoman, I loved that. O'Donnell shines as Jack Foley, the good-looking Rugby star who falls in love with Benny (Driver). O'Donnell plays Foley with suavity, sympathy & class. You like him; even when you find out about Nan. He just has a way of making you swoon. And I loved the accent. My favorite scene in this movie is Jack in a tuxedo. Talk about hot! Chris O'Donnell has always been good-looking, but wearing that tuxedo & speaking with an Irish accent made me swoon.Driver gives a star-is-born performance as Benny, the 'ordinary' girl who dreams of more than Knockglen. You feel her pain as she deals her whole life with not being the beauty Nan is; & cheer when Jack tells her he loves her.I discovered what a talent Alan Cumming is. His portrayal of Sean Walsh gave me the creeps; yet I kept hoping for more screen time. Geraldine O'Rawe is another breakthrough performance as Eve. She is a loyal friend to Benny & a joy to watch on screen. Her beauty & grace are unmatched in this film.A very sweet movie & a good addition to anyone's collection. If you are Irish, rent & enjoy this gem. If you are not, rent anyways. It just proves that sometimes the person you want may not be out of reach. Sometimes dreams do come true.

Kristinartist79 This was a great movie, but it was a little different than the book. Spoilers: Nan was friends with Benny and Eve since childhood in the movie. In the book, they met at college. I liked O'Donald's character better in the movie than in the book. In the book, he acted like a jerk to Benny when she was too busy taking care of her widowed mother. In the movie, though he did feel a little lonely and got a little impatient,he (up until he cheated on her) was a little more understanding. In the book, I thought they implied that Benny got together with her, but I think she left it up to the author to decide. Other users says they did not get back together. In the movie, they definitely did get back together. I liked the part where Benny hit the bag over that creep's head and the money spilled out! Nan and Eve were great for their part. Although I do not consider O'Donald gorgeous, he is talented. I read some users comments. I also noticed the flaw they made when they said they were making their confirmation, (as other users stated) which was really the communion. However, that was not important to me. A lot of users were critical about the movie being so centered around sex. I agree with them, that it did get too much after a while, but those are real problems that teens and young adults faced then, and now. But back then they did not have sex education. (just guilt, from the catholic church)Perhaps if people talked to them about the real consequences of having sex (rather that preaching about it being a mortal sin)they would not have so much of a desire to have it. I think if this were a real story, Benny would have made a big mistake by having sex(obviously unprotected) and it would be a shame for a talented smart writer like Benny to ruin her chance of having a career; however, the movie ended there. I do not think it was made to teach you that you should have premarital sex, (though realistically it happened, even then, though it was just not talked of) It was made to entertain. It was a romantic love story, not a life lesson. A lot of people were disappointed by the fact that Benny gave Jack and second chance, but at least in the movie, he was not a jerk like he was in the book, as I said. Somebody said that the parents looked old for parents back then, but it was not unusual for women to take years to get pregnet, or to have many miscarriages (sadly). Back then they did not have the prenatal care that they have now, or ways of getting pregnet. The fact that she had only one child was also unusual for that time, which also implies that the mother probably took a long time to conceive. So I thought using older parents was appropriate, and backed up justly. Overall, a great movie!

hbrookshaw As a "stand alone" this film is quite passable. If, however, you are a fan of Maeve Binchy and have read the book, you will probably spend a good deal of the film comparing the two, and the film comes off unfavourably. Some of the differences are minor, but the ending is completely different. I have no intention of comparing the two endings here as I don't want to be a spoiler, suffice it to say that if you have read the book, the film ending is a major disappointment. I also think that Benny was totally miscast. That the Benny of the book is a big woman is relevant to the storyline, whereas Minnie Driver, although quite tall, can't be called big under any stretch of the imagination. The film characters seemed wooden to me in comparison with the book characters. However, if you're not into reading books, the film is worth watching.