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Click above to purchase "An Everlasting Piece" at amazon.com
An Everlasting Piece
review by Zach B.
Rated R
Studio: Dreamworks
Running Time: 103 minutes
Starring Barry McEvoy, Brian F. O'Byrne, Anna Friel
and Billy Connolly
Written by Barry McEvoy
Directed by Barry Levinson
Retail Price: $26.95
Features: Cast and Filmmakers Bios, Production Notes,
Theatrical Trailer
Specs: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English Dolby
Digital 5.1, English DTS 5.1, English Dolby Surround,
English Subtitles, Chapter Search (20 Chapters)
Released: August 7th, 2001
You may have heard a little bit about "An Everlasting
Piece". A lawsuit has been going around for a little bit as
of writing this, as the filmmakers sued Dreamworks (the
studio that distributed this movie) claiming that they
didn't give the movie chance and didn't really support it,
claiming the studio would and disapproved of some of the
subject matter. A lot of it made the studio seem like a big
bad guy (where have we heard this before?), and perhaps, has
given some publicity in the movie. Since this movie came out
and then just died in such limited release, I didn't check
it out. Now you can on video and DVD, and perhaps with this
release it will gain more an audience and publicity with
those curios about the lawsuit.
"An Everlasting Piece" follows Colm and George, two
barbers at a local mental hospital, circa the 1980s in
Ireland (one is Catholic while the other is a Protastant).
When they are soon faced to cut the hair of "The Scalper",
the two learn that he used to be the only toupee distributor
in Ireland, and he became quite wealthy. So why is he called
"The Scalper", why, he scalped people of course! The duo
then get a hold of his clients list and become toupee
salesmen who get caught up in a whole lot of things. From
there, madcap comedy and all sorts of zaniness ensues.
This is a movie that won't appeal to everyone, but if you
give it a chance you may like it. The humor varies from
plain old slapstick to one-liners, and I found much of the
scenarios to be really unique and pretty original. Again,
people are either going to like what's here or will dislike
it. It can be pretty entertaining, however, sometimes I was
a little bit bored. The film's pace is a bit uneven.
Sometimes it really picks up while other times it moves
slowly.
Barry McEvoy, who stars in the movie and wrote the script
based on some of his family's experiences, creates an
interesting atmosphere and backdrop with his screenplay. He
does create likeable characters, a very unique brand of
humor that is hit and miss usually (as I mentioned before,
and actually hits a lot more then misses) and an interesting
plotline. I guess my problems with the script is that it
tries to make some sort of statement within all the zaniness
but never gets the message fully across. Also, I mentioned
before I was a bit bored at times. If the movie had a little
more structure to it, I think I would have liked it a bit
more. I think it needed more development in some key areas,
that's all.
The acting here is certainly good. McEvoy and O'Byrne
have great chemistry together, while the supporting
performances really bring this movie to life. This is a fine
ensemble, and even a good appearance by Billy Connolly (who
I like) as "The Scalper". I also enjoyed Hans Zimmer's light
musical score which fits into the film perfectly.
Barry Levinson directed this movie and he does a pretty
decent job. I mentioned the movie's pace which he could have
tighten, but overall he brings a nice style to the movie.
This is a movie that I wouldn't think he would direct, but
hey, he did and does a good job with the material. While
this movie was ignored by audiences in the several theaters
it was released and Dreamworks certainly didn't help that,
check it out. You may be surprised how much you like this
movie. I can see a movie like this gaining a cult audience
on video over time.
"An Everlasting Piece" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen. It's not one of Dreamworks' best transfers, but
it is good for what it is. Colors are well saturated, detail
is good and blacks are pretty deep. However, the main
problem I had with this transfer is that can be a bit soft
at times, not to mention it can be a little fuzzy too
(mostly in the night scenes). Little annoyances such as
scratches, dirt and blemishes do pop up. Some noise and
shimmering is also present in some scenes. Not reference
quality material, but an overall good transfer.
Dreamworks has included English Dolby Digital 5.1,
English DTS 5.1 and English Dolby Surround tracks with this
release. This isn't a surround type of a movie, but there
are still some nice sounds to light up the channels.
Zimmer's score sounds particuarly good and thorough, while
key elements like rain and dogs barking bring a subtle punch
to the mix. Limited .1 LFE extension is featured, but when
used it is pretty decent. The Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1
pretty much sound the same, there's no real key differences,
but if I had to choose, it'd be DTS. There's more of a
tighter edge to it. This movie is pretty much dialogue
driven, and dialogue sounds clear and crisp, never muffled
or overpowered by other sounds in all the tracks. Overall, a
fine job with the sound for a movie like this. English
subtitles are also included.
Hmm, I guess it's no surprise Dreamworks has only
included a Theatrical Trailer (Dolby Digital 5.1),
Production Notes (also included in the keep case
insert) and Cast and Filmmakers Biographies. They
screwed this movie during the theatrical release, so who
knows if they didn't want to be bothered doing a full blown
out DVD. Besides, if they had some people doing a commentary
and going on who and what happened to them rather then the
movie, it wouldn't look that good for the studio. On a
different note, this movie features some good animated
menus.
"An Everlasting Piece" was killed off by Dreamworks, but
if you had a desire to see it you should check it out. While
the transfer and audio are average, and the supplements are
certainly lackluster, it's worth a rental. However, for a
nearly 27 dollar retail price, it's a little bit hard to
reccomend unless you've seen this movie and loved it.
Perhaps once the lawsuit is settled and everything, this is
a title Dreamworks may want to revisit (hopefully if a
commentary is provided it wouldn't be too nasty).
 (3.5/5 - NOT included in
final score)
(3.5/5)
 (3/5)
 (1/5)
 (2.5/5, NOT an average)
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