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The Miracle Club is a captivating film that offers delightful Sunday afternoon entertainment akin to a comforting bowl of warm soup. Directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan, the movie leans towards being mild, yet still manages to charm. Set in Dublin in 1967, it revolves around a group of Catholic women who win a pilgrimage to Lourdes through a church lottery. Their motivations for embarking on this trip are twofold: escaping from their mundane, reliant husbands and seeking a miracle for a young boy who has never spoken.
One of the group members is the young mother (Agnes O’Casey) of the boy, whose trendy Carnaby Street attire in 1967 adds a vibrant splash of color throughout the film. Another is Lily, an elderly woman whose anxious demeanor and shapeless hat reflect a life of suppression. Maggie Smith portrays Lily with a gritty severity that elevates the character beyond mere resilience, creating a more nuanced performance.
Chrissie (Laura Linney) is also part of the group, having returned from the US with lingering resentment and disapproval from everyone, including Eileen (Kathy Bates), her former best friend. Linney’s trademark half-smile of compassionate concern, so familiar from her role in the Netflix thriller series Ozark, takes on a subtly acidic edge here. It’s refreshing to see the twinkle in her eye shine in a different way post-Ozark.
Although the overall tone of the film exudes a sense of complacency and comfort, the performances by the esteemed cast are top-notch. Among the men left behind is Stephen Rea, an actor who has perfected the art of portraying the “hangdog” character. He remains irreducibly lugubrious, yet always manages to infuse fresh nuances into his portrayal, ensuring that audiences never tire of his latest shade of gloom.
★★☆☆☆
In UK cinemas from October 13
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