December 22, 2002 -- "Evelyn" is a conventional, but well-crafted film about a historic legal battle in Ireland over a man's right to raise his own children. It's got all the standard, hard-drinking, hard-working Irish characters from past films about this colorful country, and it has got a lot of heart, too, and it is based on a true story.

Pierce Brosnan of "Die Another Day" stars as Desmond Doyle, a father whose children are put in orphanages when he loses his job and his wife runs off with another man. Doyle makes a living with his father, Maurice (Hugh McDonagh), a fiddle player, as a singer in pubs, while he waits for a another painting and decorating job to come up. Doyle is not a perfect father, he drinks and fights too much and he's hard-headed and stubbornly independent. He also has a quick temper. When a nun in an orphanage, Sister Bridgett (Andrea Irvine), beats his daughter, Evelyn (convincingly played by child actor Sophie Vavasseur), he appears at the orphanage to let Sister Bridgett know very clearly that if she ever strikes his daughter again, it will be the last time she ever hits anything. This incident is one of several that make Doyle desperate to get his children out of institutional care.

Doyle turns to an attorney to try to get his children back, and he is told it is impossible. The system, he is told, is corrupt, a tangled web of laws complicated by a close interrelationship between Catholic Church and the state. In order to get his children back, he needs the Supreme Court of Ireland to overturn the child welfare law, something which the court has never done. Against all odds, Doyle recruits a small, but talented team of lawyers who are willing to take on the power of the state, at the risk of their own careers. The legal battle at the center of the film lasts 50 minutes and is highlighted by the testimony of Evelyn (convincingly played by Sophie Vavasseur), Doyle's bright, young daughter.

The film is buoyed by some fine performances, including Brosnan, who shows he can play more than just a smooth secret agent. He's convincing playing an interesting, complex character. It is a tougher role than his acclaimed performance in "The Tailor of Panama." Julianna Margulies of "Ghost Ship," who plays Bernadette Beattie, Doyle's girlfriend, Aidan Quinn of "Songcatcher," Stephen Rea of "The Musketeer" and Alan Bates of "The Sum of All Fears," who play Doyle's lawyers. Bates, a veteran actor, is especially good at defining his irascible character. Hugh McDonagh turns in a sterling supporting performance as Doyle's father. Sophie Vavasseur is excellent as Evelyn Doyle. It is hard to believe this is only her third film. Every good story needs good villains and Andrea Irvine creates an excellent character in the mean-spirited Sister Bridgett. Conor Evans does a nice job with the part of a heartless judge, Justice Ferris. While many Irish comedies, like "The Commitments," and "Hear My Song" concentrate on creating quirky, exaggerated characters, "Evelyn" creates well-rounded, memorable characters in the central roles.

Director Bruce Beresford ("Driving Miss Daisy") and screenwriter Paul Pender, do a good job of keeping the multiple story lines under control. The characters are developed nicely and the courtroom scenes are well handled. It is a sentimental story, but Beresford doesn't let the sentimentality get out of hand. Production values are solid with believable costumes, sets and production design. Cinematography by Andre Fleuren is also good. This well-crafted film could become one of the regular Saint Patrick's Day movies at my house, along with "The Quiet Man" and "The Secret of Roan Inish." Some critics will say this film is no good because it is uplifting. They hate uplifting films, but love depressing films. I spoke to one young fellow who said he didn't like a particular film because nobody got killed. He said if someone would have had, at least, an arm cut off, he would have liked it better. Is that sick or what? To that, I say bah, humbug. I like an uplifting film as long as it is well done, and if it includes some comedy, so much the better. This film has both of those things going for it, and it rates a B.

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