Hear My Song

Micky O'Neill (Adrian Dunbar) is a born salesman. As the booker of the local theater/dance hall, he is famous for hiring almost-celebrities like Franc Cinatra. When he is unable to tell his girlfriend (the beautiful Tara Fitzgerald) that he loves her, in so many words, she storms out of their bedroom. In order to win her back--and curry favor with her mother, not to mention keep his job--he decides to book famous tenor Joe Locke, who's wanted by the government for tax reasons and hasn't performed in decades. So begins Micky's quest to find the reclusive singer--and himself. The movie is so enthusiastically cheerful, it wins you over early on with its good-natured energy, and then never lets up. Hear My Song is like a rural British version of The Blues Brothers, with a tenor instead of a blues band, minus a whole lotta car wrecks, but a final performance surrounded by police. Really, how can you argue with that? --Andy Spletzer