For anyone who is, knows, or aspires to be a dad, Finnegan’s Foursome is the perfect movie. The stakes are low, the banter is high, and there’s so much golf that anyone who’s ever fallen asleep in front of Sunday afternoon television will feel right at home. Edward Burns has aged from being the enfant terrible of inoffensive American indie cinema to being the middle-aged dad of the same. That is meant as a compliment! Not every movie needs to be wham-bam-boom, or even wham-bam-thank you ma’am. A family having a nice time together in front of some good scenery is often more than enough.
Jack Finnegan (Ian McElhinney) left Ireland in his youth for life in American as a golf pro. But life as a professional athlete meant limited time with his sons Freddy (Mr. Burns) and Teddy (Brian d’Arcy James, who walks away with the film), who have some notes on his parenting as a result. But once a year, Jack took them and Freddy’s son Frankie (Brian Muller) on a small golfing holiday, playing for the Finnegan’s Cup – a trophy that everyone in this competitive family takes incredibly seriously even though Jack always won. Teddy’s daughter Marie (Erica Hernandez) is no slouch of a golfer herself, but the competition for the cup was for four people and four people only. (No sexism here!!) But then two surprising things happen. Frankie hits a hole in one, and Jack drops dead of a heart attack. In Jack’s will he asks for his sons to scatter his ashes in a few specific places in Ireland. Freddy and Teddy see this as a chance for one last Finnegan’s Cup. (Their wives are obviously not invited, which they are perfectly fine with.) Marie has just graduated college and is about to strike out on her own, while Frankie is unemployed, in the middle of a divorce, and having a tough time. Why not fulfil Jack’s last wishes, play some golf, and cheer everyone up? Why not indeed.
Your enjoyment of this movie depends on your tolerance for golf, and for golfers. Most of the film is the Finnegans squabbling and teasing each other as they play full and complete rounds of golf on several different windswept Irish courses, with the scoring taken extremely seriously. Mr. Burns has always had an expert ear for how Irish-Americans talk amongst themselves, and here he also demonstrates a gift for the insult. The punches are pulled of course, in deference to the lady, without that ever being made explicit either, but everyone knows. Marie spent her childhood begging to be included in these events, thinking she was missing out on pearls of wisdom or something. Her mocking dismay at realising all she missed were the cutting remarks that Irish people only make towards those they deeply love is a very funny thing. She had plenty of that at home! Jeff Muhlstock’s camera manages to avoid most “World of Sports” cliché, the music is cheery, and there are a lot of heartfelt speeches about dads and families and life lessons along the way.
Teddy and Freddy are both good dads, bursting with pride over their children, but not about to let them get stuck up about it. The family is wealthy, and loves each other, so there’s no real worry that things will end badly, please. But being part of a family always involves concern that things are sub-optimal, and that means there’s always stuff to talk, and talk and talk, about as the rounds of golf continue. Besides, who will win the cup? Mopey Frankie, determined Marie, cranky Freddy or cheery Teddy? For a light and inoffensive sports movie, Finnegan’s Foursome is a perfect smash.
One final thing: Mr. Muller once made an Instagram story about a compliment I paid his work in one of his other films. I’m sorry his character here is so muted I can’t do the same again!
Finnegan’s Foursome recently played at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Learn more about the film at the Tribeca site for the title.
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