Evelyn

PG

Released Dec 13, 2002

1 hr. 33 min.

Drama

List

64%

117 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

When the mother of young Evelyn Doyle (Sophie Vavasseur) abandons her family, her devastated father Desmond (Pierce Brosnan), is left to care for Evelyn and her brothers on his own. Because Irish laws forbid children to be raised in a home without two parents, Evelyn and her brothers are removed from Desmond's care and sent to separate orphanages. Desmond, who is out of work and abusing alcohol, will have to challenge the Irish courts to bring his children home.

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Critics Consensus

Though predictable and sometimes overly sentimental, Evelyn still manages to be heartwarming.

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Audience Member

Directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Pierce Brosnan of 'James Bond' fame and Juliana Margulies This true story takes place on Christmas 1955 When the mother of young Evelyn Doyle (Sophie Vavasseur) abandons her family, her devastated father Desmond is left to care for Evelyn and her brothers on his own The bad news is that Irish laws forbid children to be raised in a home without two parents, so Evelyn and her brothers are removed from Desmond's care and sent to separate orphanages Desmond, who is out of work with no income or revenue and abusing alcohol, will have to challenge the Irish courts to bring his children home He sobers up with his daughter missing him So he has to get a lawyer to bring his case against the church of state Undermining the basis of family law is a risky move too for Desmond The law and justice are two entirely different things, having faith is all it takes, there are battles that seem hopeless Brosnan is pouring his heart into this role as a father desperate to turn things around for the Irish Constitution No parent should be torn from their children even around the holidays Crazy how Irish law was back then not allowing single parents to raise their own without income, revenue or spousal support It’s about one man making history in the process but also feeling whole again with his kids Manages to be heartwarming if predictable and overly sentimental It's got a sprightly pace too Director Bruce Beresford makes the performances absorbing and in no time at all it takes an inspirational, feel-good turn

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/14/23

Full Review

Essie R

Predictable and stiff. Poorly written, poorly acted, and even poorly closed captioned.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/04/23

Full Review

Jacob B

A compelling real-life drama which features a really good performance from Pierce Brosnan - who also gets to sing songs more within his vocal range here unlike his infamous ABBA cover - , solid direction and well-executed storytelling dealing with fatherly love. True, it gets quite sentimental at times but overall, I would recommend Evelyn as a film worthy of being shown in secondary schools to educate students a bit on this early '50s history...just advise them to not take everything at face value. Remember, this is a dramatisation, not a documentary.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/19/23

Full Review

Wayne K

In the same year he made his final appearance as James Bond, in a film in which he spent 14 years in a North Korean prison and drove an invisible car, Pierce Brosnan starred in Evelyn, an occasionally true account of Irish childcare laws and their effect on a single parent family. There's an easy tonal whiplash joke in there, and many critics have already made it. My wife suggested we watch this film, which she'd heard was sad but heart-warming. To be fair, I feel like it handled it's changes in tone well. Brosnan plays a fundamentally decent man who's prone to the same mistakes that we all are, but there's never any doubt what he wants, and how hard he'll work to get it. When his wife leaves him he's a mess, and we do see a steady improvement in his behaviour and attitude. If you've seen The Magdalene Sisters, this is a similar thing, but with children instead of young adults, and with (mostly) nicer nuns. It has the typical emotional court speeches, the bombastic score at crucial moments and the characters embracing for maximum tear extraction. I can see how some would call it saccharine or sentimental, but I don't think it ever gets too syrupy, which it easily could have. It's well paced and acted, and its nice to hear Brosnan singing well, as opposed to his ear bleeding performance in Mamma Mia. It might not be exceptional, but its more than worth your time.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Pierce Brosnan of 'James Bond' fame and Juliana Margulies This true story takes place on Christmas 1955 When the mother of young Evelyn Doyle (Sophie Vavasseur) abandons her family, her devastated father Desmond is left to care for Evelyn and her brothers on his own The bad news is that Irish laws forbid children to be raised in a home without two parents, so Evelyn and her brothers are removed from Desmond's care and sent to separate orphanages Desmond, who is out of work with no income or revenue and abusing alcohol, will have to challenge the Irish courts to bring his children home He sobers up with his daughter missing him So he has to get a lawyer to bring his case against the church of state Undermining the basis of family law is a risky move too for Desmond The law and justice are two entirely different things, having faith is all it takes, there are battles that seem hopeless Brosnan is pouring his heart into this role as a father desperate to turn things around for the Irish Constitution No parent should be torn from their children even around the holidays Crazy how Irish law was back then not allowing single parents to raise their own without income, revenue or spousal support It’s about one man making history in the process but also feeling whole again with his kids Manages to be heartwarming if predictable and overly sentimental It's got a sprightly pace too Director Bruce Beresford makes the performances absorbing and in no time at all it takes an inspirational, feel-good turn

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/14/22

Full Review

steve d

Heartwarming thanks to some strong performances.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Bruce Beresford

Director

Pierce Brosnan

Desmond Doyle

Aidan Quinn

Nick Barron

Julianna Margulies

Bernadette Beattie

Stephen Rea

Michael Beattie

Sophie Vavasseur

Evelyn Doyle

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Barbara Ellen

Times (UK)

Tone-wise, Evelyn is all over the place. There are times when it is brisk and lively, even rather amusing; other times when you just cringe at how syrupy and overdone it is.

Jan 2, 2018

Full Review

Eddie Cockrell

Variety

A sprightly pace and a fatalistic sense of humor propel the proceedings over a generous amount of drinking jokes and other cliches of Irish life and culture.

Mar 27, 2009

Full Review

Trevor Johnston

Time Out

Instead of the clear-headed resolve the material demands, Beresford's film offers slush, blarney and grandstanding actors ...

Jan 26, 2006

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

For every good decision the film makes, a few mushy, conspicuously crowd-pleasing, or manipulatively suspenseful narrative choices edge in on the entertainment value.

Rated: 6/10

Sep 29, 2020

Full Review

James Plath

Family Home Theater

The first third of this film can seem like a downer, but the performances are absorbing and in no time at all it takes an inspirational, feel-good turn.

Rated: B

Jan 16, 2018

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

While it does have its charm, and it does, it's a pretty bad, pretty hokey piece of fluff that never really registers as a genuine drama, only as an emotionally manipulative piece of dribble with actors that give horrible accents.

Apr 29, 2009

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

When the mother of young Evelyn Doyle (Sophie Vavasseur) abandons her family, her devastated father Desmond (Pierce Brosnan), is left to care for Evelyn and her brothers on his own. Because Irish laws forbid children to be raised in a home without two parents, Evelyn and her brothers are removed from Desmond's care and sent to separate orphanages. Desmond, who is out of work and abusing alcohol, will have to challenge the Irish courts to bring his children home.

Director: Bruce Beresford
Executive Producer: Simon Bosanquet, Eberhard Kayser, Kieran Corrigan, Mario Ohoven
Screenwriter: Paul Pender
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: United Artists
Rating: PG (Thematic Material|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 13, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.4M
Sound Mix: Surround

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