Film Reviews: The Miracle Club might scoff, but places its faith in humanity

The Miracle Club stars Maggie Smith (right) and Laura Linney as Irish women in the 1960s. Pic: Jonathan Hession/Lionsgate

• The Miracle Club
• ★★★☆☆
• Cinema release

Set in 1967, The Miracle Club (12A) opens with Chrissie Ahearn (Laura Linney) returning to Dublin from Boston for her mother’s funeral, where she gets a frosty reception from her mother’s friend Lily (Maggie Smith) and her old pal Eileen (Kathy Bates).

All Chrissie wants to do is pay her respects and leave, but God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform, etc, and soon Chrissie finds herself on a bus with Lily, Eileen and Dolly Hennessy (Agnes O’Casey, who is having quite a week), heading for Lourdes and the miracles they hope to find there.

Cynics might scoff at blind faith and the possibility of miraculous cures, but to a certain extent that’s the point of Thaddeus O’Sullivan’s film: Lily, Eileen and Dolly might be heavily invested in the idea of Lourdes as a place where miracles are said to happen, but they’re also no-nonsense women who don’t suffer fools or foolishness gladly (the notable exception, perhaps, being Eileen’s feckless husband Frank (Stephen Rea), whose idea of Hell is being left on his own to mind their children). 

Eileen (Kathy Bates) stars in The Miracle Club.

As the story proceeds, and we discover the reason why a rift occurred between Eileen and Chrissie, the script reveals itself to be rather predictable and occasionally clumsy in its characterisations, although it’s hard to quibble with the way it puts its faith in human nature. 

Laura Linney is in superb form as the quiet centre of the drama that swirls about her, and she gets terrific support from Maggie Smith (whose Dublin accent is well-nigh impeccable), Kathy Bates and Agnes O’Casey, who holds her own amidst all the grand dames.