THE STORY – Two Irish American brothers and their children, all highly competitive golfers, return to their ancestral homeland to hit the links in honor of their late father, who taught them the game.
THE CAST – Edward Burns, Brian D’Arcy James, Erica Hernandez, Brian Muller, Ian McElhinney, Stuart Graham & Owen Rowe
THE TEAM – Edward Burns (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 120 Minutes
Since “The Brothers McMullen” became the Sundance hit that it was, filmmaker Edward Burns has continued to navigate the trenches of independent filmmaking, often funding the stories he’s wanted to see come to life. Burns, who writes, directs, produces, and stars in all of his films, hasn’t shown any signs of stopping since his debut in the mid-90s. While he’s had chances to pop up in popular works as an actor, such as “Saving Private Ryan” or even as a fictional version of himself on “Entourage”, Burns has always stayed true to himself as an artist. Now he’s back for his latest feature, which played at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Unfortunately, “Finnegan’s Foursome” misses the mark, creating a Hallmark-esque comedy that will make audiences wish they were instead watching an actual golf telecast.
Burns stars in the film as Freddy Finnegan, a golf enthusiast and the disgruntled son of professional golfer Jack Finnegan (Ian McElhinney). Compared to his brother Teddy (Brian d’Arcy James), Jack has grown weary of his father’s presence, especially during their highly competitive traditional family golf tournament, which he wants to opt out of. After being reluctantly pulled back in with the motive of telling his father off, Jack suddenly dies at the start of the game. In the aftermath of the loss of the man who taught them to love the game, the two brothers – along with their children Frankie (Brian Muller) and Marie (Erica Hernandez) – head to Ireland to continue the tournament while spreading Jack’s ashes across the course that helped shape him to become the golfer he was.
While Burns’ premise sets up what could be a moving comedy, it quickly reveals itself to be packed with an all-too-familiar old school style of humor that rarely earns laughs. Most of the jokes stem from the familial rivalries on the golf course, mainly involving Burns and James’ characters. Freddy and Teddy’s relationship is just comprised of the two of them embracing their father’s competitiveness, which leads to them sniping at one another, whether on the greens or not. Repeatedly, Jack ultimately apologizes and they instantly make up. While it’s enjoyable to see the Finnegan family take digs at each another, mainly during the sequences when they’re attempting to putt, it quickly becomes tiresome. The chemistry between the four leads is solid, and frankly, the only reason to seek out “Finnegan’s Foursome.” Hernadez injects much needed energy as her character shakes up the testosterone-heavy tournament, as Marie becomes the first woman in the Finnegan family to be included in the tradition.
The screenplay does little to establish these characters beyond a simple individual trait, a few lines of dialogue, or the most generic resolutions to minor inconveniences in their lives. Freddy’s whole shtick is that he was upset his father never devoted as much time to him. Teddy is an author suffering from a bout of writer’s block. Brian is trying to find his path after his band broke up and his girlfriend left him. And then there’s Marie who, frankly, is just having the time of her life as the lone woman of the club. It doesn’t help that Burns’ direction leads to some of the most unflattering cinematic depictions of golf seen in some time. Audiences have to suffer through visually indistinguishable sequences as the Finnegans whack the ball over and over before Burns’ script explains, verbatim, which member is currently in the lead or losing at each course. Occasionally, Jeff Mulshtok’s cinematography captures the beauty of Ireland and the greenery of the golf courses. But it’s not enough to dazzle audiences, and the humor disappoints as well.
Whenever Burns tries to delve into the emotional weeds of these characters, it all but falls flat, and each speech eulogizing the patriarch who brought them all together through this sport rings hollow. It’s been a long time since “The Brother’s McMullen,” and in each subsequent film, it seems Burns struggles to recapture the magic that made his debut so special all those years ago. Maybe after “The Family McMullen” – a pretty solid follow-up to his directorial debut – he should set his sights on returning to the family that already has our hearts in a possible third outing instead of whatever this is.
