Dancing at Lughnasa

Play trailer

Dancing at Lughnasa

PG

Released Sep 12, 1998

1h 32m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

59%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Kate Mundy (Meryl Streep) is the eldest of five sisters living together in a small house in Ireland in 1936. The only one with a steady job, Kate oversees the various conflicting personalities. Though none of the women is married, Christina (Catherine McCormack) has a young son named Michael. The household works well in its fashion, but after the sisters' addle-minded brother, Jack (Michael Gambon), shows up, then Michael's father, Gerry (Rhys Ifans), things are unlikely to stay the same.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Terry Lawson

Detroit Free Press

Dancing at Lughnasa seems unfinished, and its tragedy is diluted and diminished. This is a pity considering the extremely high quality of the performances.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 5, 2023

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

It is all memory and no drama. Onstage, they dance, and they are dancing now. On film, somehow, they are dancing then. It is not enough.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Stanley Kauffmann

The New Republic

Friel apart, the making of the film is impressive. In addition to Streep, her sisters are as vital as the script allows.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Sara Wildberger

Miami Herald

[These] are a lot of characters to squeeze into a 94-minute movie, especially one that seems compelled to include lots of travelogue-style scenery. Moments that must in the theater have glowered with magic here become drearily obvious.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 5, 2023

Full Review

Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Play-based historical drama has mature themes.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 24, 2020

Full Review

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

Soapy melodrama masquerading as high art.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 12, 2007

Full Review

Read all reviews

Tim M

Hackneyed presentation prevents Dancing at Lughnasa from being as poignant as it wants to, but a strong central cast puts life in its steps.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/26/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Just alright. Nothing to write home about. The cast is nice though and the Irish landscapes are pretty. The drama should be more involving though.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Would have recommended this to my mum, until the stark ending left a sour note. It only feels tacked on to make the film more serious instead of letting it be just a pleasant stroll of a watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

robert m

It's not the donkey cart and shamrocks view of Ireland. No bully boys and loud shouts about rebellion. If you're looking for all of that, you'll have to find another movie. This is a study of Irish life in the old days. Village life was quiet and slow, shaken by a few moments of madness. This is a movie about people (most of them women) who deserved something better.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Meryl. With an Irish accent.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie gave me a feeling of emptiness and sadness. And I felt pity for the sisters, their whole existence was all the same... But the actresses are marvellous.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Pat O'Connor

Director

Meryl Streep

Kate 'Kit' Mundy

Michael Gambon

Father Jack Mundy

Catherine McCormack

Christina Mundy

Kathy Burke

Maggie Mundy

Sophie Thompson

Rose Mundy

Digging to China

33%

72%

Digging to China

Watchlist

August

14%

48%

August

Watchlist

In Custody

67%

62%

In Custody

Watchlist

Nicholas Nickleby

79%

75%

Nicholas Nickleby

Watchlist

Vanya on 42nd Street

89%

79%

Vanya on 42nd Street

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Kate Mundy (Meryl Streep) is the eldest of five sisters living together in a small house in Ireland in 1936. The only one with a steady job, Kate oversees the various conflicting personalities. Though none of the women is married, Christina (Catherine McCormack) has a young son named Michael. The household works well in its fashion, but after the sisters' addle-minded brother, Jack (Michael Gambon), shows up, then Michael's father, Gerry (Rhys Ifans), things are unlikely to stay the same.

Director: Pat O'Connor
Producer: Noel Pearson
Screenwriter: Frank McGuinness
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Capitol Films, Channel Four Films
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 12, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.3M
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now