Da

PG

1988

1h 42m

Drama

List

64%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

58%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

An Irish-American playwright (Martin Sheen) confronts his past while in Ireland for the funeral of his father, Da (Barnard Hughes).

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Audience Member

I had the good fortune to see this film at a screening at which Martin Sheen himself was present, along with the film's director Matt Clark. It was quite fascinating to hear the two of them reminisce so many years later on the making of this little gem of a movie, which has never yet found its way to DVD or digital services (but apparently will soon). It's a fairly modest yet touching little drama about a playwright (Sheen) who returns to his native Ireland after many years away to bury his recently deceased father, the titular "Da" (Barnard Hughes). Most of the film is taken up by either the main character's imagined conversations with his dead father, or flashbacks to their earlier lives together. The movie doesn't make any grand statements or big stylistic gestures, but it very convincingly portrays the complicated relationship between a father and a son with great sympathy for both. Barnard Hughes is absolutely terrific as "Da," even if his Irish accent can be a bit too thick for my understanding sometimes. It's a sweet, straightforward, honest movie that carefully avoids excess sentimentality but is affecting nonetheless. I recommend looking for it once it becomes available.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

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Audience Member

Man travels to his hometown in Ireland to bury his father and recalls all sorts of memories of his father. I found this one quite dull as I never connected with the character but appears to have been a hit with critics.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

Nostalgic look back for one man returning home to Ireland on the passing of his father. Seems to actually drag at times but I'm sure will connect with some people as life events good and bad are re-lived by Sheen in the grieving process.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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james b

familiar surroundings galore set in dalkey mostly with a view of dalkey island this was an interesting watch for me and my mother who i watched it with who grew up in dalkey. a nice little story set around the 1940's. i liked it but why didnt he go down the back with her fuck me i would have gone down the back with her.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Matt Clark

Director

Barnard Hughes

Da

Martin Sheen

Charlie

William Hickey

Drumm

Karl Hayden

Young Charlie

Doreen Hepburn

Mother

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

It is almost impossible, seeing this film, not to think of your parents in a new light, as people who, amazingly, did not have all of the answers and did not even know some of the questions.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Much worse than I could have imagined. [Full review in Spanish]

Jun 29, 2022

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Chuck O'Leary

Fantastica Daily

Rated: 3/5

Oct 10, 2005

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Eric Lurio

Greenwich Village Gazette

Rated: 2/5

Oct 5, 2005

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jun 26, 2005

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Linda Cook

Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

Rated: 4/5

Apr 7, 2004

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Synopsis

An Irish-American playwright (Martin Sheen) confronts his past while in Ireland for the funeral of his father, Da (Barnard Hughes).

Director: Matt Clark
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.3M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Surround