Laura Linney ("Chrissie") arrives back in the small Irish community of Ballygar following the death of her estranged mother. At that exact moment, there is a local talent contest going on and the prize is either a trip to Lourdes or a large bacon joint! Now three local women - "Lily" (Dame Maggie Smith); "Eileen" (Kathy Bates) and "Dolly" (Agnes O'Casey) want the trip so they can take the latter women's mute son "Daniel" (Eric Smith) to the shrine, they can all bathe in the waters, and hopefully the youngster will start to talk! It's a gently paced, if procedural, comedy this that allows each of the characters a few scenes to tell us of their woes before a denouement that isn't really a challenge for anyone - watching or acting. We deal with bitterness, misunderstanding, age-old opinions of sex and forgiveness as only an Irish storyline can. Along the way, Kathy Bates proves that she can knock out a tune or two, though I wouldn't give loads for Dame Maggie's backing singing, and the effort from the young, curly-haired, Smith is quite charming. Otherwise this is all just a bit too familiar. It looks charming though and shows us well just how celebratory and simultaneously toxic small community life can be - especially when fuelled by religion. It's worth a watch - the cast gel well, but it can wait til the television at Christmas.

<em>'The Miracle Club'</em> packs a fair punch, even if it never truly hits as perhaps intended - at least for me, of course. It does get darker than expected, the characters onscreen certainly do carry a load of baggage; poster-based pun not intended. I do appreciate that element, still. Maggie Smith stars in her final film role, as Laura Linney, Kathy Bates and Agnes O'Casey feature as prominently. None of them give overly good or bad showings, though Linney did feel a little weaker than the rest; or perhaps just more guarded, as intended. Bates narrowly stands out most, either way. There is heart in what it attempts to portray, admittedly I'm not sold that everything is as wrapped up as the film appears to suggest with its conclusion. I do think a different end for Daniel would've been better, for example. There is undoubtedly some sturdiness scattered in there, mind. Forgettable, but passable.