Prolific writer/director Edward Burns (THE BROTHERS MCMULLEN, MILLERS IN MARRIAGE) is back on the festival circuit with his new film, FINNEGAN'S FOURSOME. Led by Burns, the film also stars Brian D'Arcy James, Brian Muller, and Erica Hernandez as the titular foursome, who travel to Ireland to spread the ashes of patriarch Jack Finnegan after his passing.
As usual, this is a very personal story from Burns. As per his director's statement:
"I took up golf after my mother died in 2020 as a way to spend more time with my father. Before long, I was hooked - not just by the game itself, but by the camaraderie it fosters. Playing with my father, brother and son became a chance to take a four-hour walk in nature while connecting in a meaningful way, free from the usual distractions of screens and phones. It became a kind of sacred ritual, and those rounds with my family were part of the inspiration for this film. My mother’s passing became a source of inspiration in another way when we decided to forgo a traditional burial and instead scatter her ashes at several places that held deep meaning for her, including the lobby of her childhood apartment building and the altar of the church where she was baptized and later married. These two experiences — the scattering of my mother’s ashes and those rounds of golf with my family — became the foundation for the screenplay Finnegan’s Foursome. The film tells the story of the Finnegans, a golf-obsessed family who, after the death of their patriarch, discover that his final wish is to have his ashes scattered in the places that mattered most to him — chief among them, the golf course in Ireland where he grew up playing with his father and grandfather. As they carry out his final wish, they begin to understand not only who he was, but who they are to each other. Along the way, they discover the unexpected blessings that come from being out on a golf course, playing that beautiful game with the people you love."
If that trailer and statement led you to believe that there's a lot of golf in this film, you'd be correct. I was on the red carpet at the Tribeca premiere next to a journalist that asked exclusively about golf, whereas my questions had practically nothing to do with the sport. As an American in a certain financial demographic, I've never tried my hand at the game and doubt I'd ever be able to afford a spot on the green. All of this is not to say that FINNEGAN'S FOURSOME is inaccessible to the golf-challenged; like many of Burns's films, the real story is one of family and connections, this time linked together by 18 successive holes on a finely manicured course in picturesque Ireland.
Speaking with Brian D'Arcy James in a Zoom conversation Monday, I had to ask about his long-time collaboration with Edward Burns and what changes have occurred in their working relationship and friendship between their first film to their fifth.
"Well with any relationship you just get to really know somebody and you become more comfortable with them and you get to see what their lives are like. I started from a place of being a fan. When I got to New York City in 1991 that was the year that BROTHERS MCMULLEN was taking off so my familiarity with Ed was that he was this breakout Indie filmmaker and I was a fan of his. A mutual friend of ours suggested me for a small part in one of his films and we just got along. I think we're like-minded in the sense that we both really want to do a good job and we love what we do. I so respect his ability to wear so many hats; he's so prolific and dedicated to his craft. I admire that. On top of all that, he's a really great guy; he's a good hang. So to be able to get to know somebody through intermittent work periods and also realize that this is a solid individual, a great character, with a beautiful family, which we also have in common. We share a lot of things in common, which is a nice gift, and when you can merge those things with a working relationship and put all of that information into, in this case, a brotherly relationship, then it's only helpful."
A plot point in the film is a sing-along in an Irish pub wherein the junior Finnegans, Francis (Muller) and Marie (Hernandez), sit in with a quartet of musicians and sing dear departed Jack's favorite song "The Parting Glass." As they sing, Teddy (James) stands up and helps them finish the song with his Tony-nominated voice. Later, when the credits are rolling, James performs the song in a recorded version with instrumentation from composer Seamus Egan.
"The recording of the song for the credits sequence, which you called a gift, and it was a gift to me to be able to do that, to have a more pensive or different take on the song. Seamus, who did the arrangement for it, scored Eddie's first film THE BROTHERS MCMULLEN and is scoring this film, as well, was fun to work with on this. It had a bit more of an expansive feel and did it in a different way, I felt very honored that Eddie gave me that chance to do that."
FINNEGAN'S FOURSOME is a fun film of family, fraternity, and fierce competition. It debuted at the 25th annual Tribeca Film Festival this past Sunday, June 7th and releases on digital next Friday, June 19th.
Until next time, take care.
-McEric, aka Eric McClanahan-
