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Small Engine Repair

Play trailer Poster for Small Engine Repair 2006 1h 38m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 7 Reviews Popcornmeter
Doug (Iain Glen), a sullen Irishman with a weak spot for country music, rages against the limitations of his small timber town when he finds the courage to record a demo of songs he's been writing in secret for years. Doug's gesture breathes new life into his friends Bill (Steven Mackintosh), a mechanic resigned to a life of quiet desperation, and Burley (Stuart Graham), an ex-con and community outcast who has recently returned after serving time for a hit-and-run.

Critics Reviews

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Martin Hoyle Financial Times 09/07/2007
Not so much shapelessness as unvaried pace and emotional monotony spoil the engaging Small Engine Repair. Go to Full Review
David Mattin BBC.com 09/07/2007
4/5
It's Glen's brilliantly understated performance of the sensitive, troubled Doug that elevates Small Engine Repair way above the competition; by the end, his small journey of quiet redemption will mean everything to you. Go to Full Review
David Jenkins Time Out 09/07/2007
3/6
It's an admirable first feature from writer-director Niall Heery, but one that never really says anything broader about Irish society or the shackles of fame. Go to Full Review
David Edwards Daily Mirror (UK) 09/07/2007
3/5
Sure, it's not going to break any box-office records, but this is a poignant, thoughtful film that deserves a wider audience than the handful likely to see it. Go to Full Review
Neil Smith Total Film 09/07/2007
3/5
A poignant character study with a pleasing mid-Atlantic sensibility, Niall Heery's debut feature is ultimately as inconsequential as one of Glen's clichd compositions. Go to Full Review
Sky Staff Sky Cinema 09/07/2007
Nashville comes to Northern Ireland in a low-key drama of tested friendships, unfulfilled ambitions and country music. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Doug (Iain Glen), a sullen Irishman with a weak spot for country music, rages against the limitations of his small timber town when he finds the courage to record a demo of songs he's been writing in secret for years. Doug's gesture breathes new life into his friends Bill (Steven Mackintosh), a mechanic resigned to a life of quiet desperation, and Burley (Stuart Graham), an ex-con and community outcast who has recently returned after serving time for a hit-and-run.
Director
Niall Heery
Producer
Tristan Lynch, Dominic Wright
Screenwriter
Niall Heery
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 38m
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