Despite competing with Hollywood films like A Minecraft Movie and Sinners, this Irish comedy is finding an audience in cinemas.
Homegrown sports comedy Fran the Man is sticking around in cinemas for a third week, after generating strong word of mouth from audiences.
The mockumentary is based on the cult favourite series Fran, which aired on Setanta Sports and TV3 from 2009-2011, with Darragh Humphreys reprising his role as the disaster-prone assistant manager Fran Costello from the show.
The movie sees Fran and his beloved amateur club, St. Peter’s Celtic, become embroiled in an international match-fixing scandal.
When Fran learns that some of his players have taken a bribe to fix an upcoming FAI Cup match, he turns detective in the hope of catching the rats.
His life is further complicated, however, by a slow-burning romance with Jackie Charlton (Amy Huberman), who is the mother of one of his players.
The film co-stars Ardal O’Hanlon (Father Ted), Amy Huberman (Last One Laughing), Deirdre O’Kane (Intermission), Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan), Risteárd Cooper (Extra Ordinary) and Toni O’Rourke (The Boy Who Never Was) and also features several fun cameos from Irish comedians.
Ardal O’Hanlon and Deirdre O’Kane in Fran the Man
JOE caught up with Fran the Man’s writer, Richie Conroy (co-creator of Crá), to discuss how the comedy came to be and the warm reaction it has received from audiences.
As for the big screen spin-off’s origins, he explained: “[The character of Fran] actually came back in 2016. The FAI got in touch with us and said they’d love us to do a video showing how bad behaviour and, therefore, good behaviour can be on the sidelines of amateur football pitches.
“That was really interesting. Myself and Daragh went into Abbotstown and had some script meetings with the FAI… And I think Champagne Football came out a couple of years later and [there was] all the discussion about corruption in soccer… So, it just started to stir some creative juices in my head.”
Conroy also said he and Humphreys were inspired by Steve Coogan’s comic creation Alan Partridge and how he has endured through the years.
“We felt this character [of Fran] was strong enough to kind of look into his life now and see how he’s getting on,” he added.
And though Fran the Man has some more heightened elements, with Fran being pulled into an international criminal investigation, writer Conroy says some autobiographical elements made their way into the script.
“I’m actually the manager of an under-13s girls team now, and so, it’s sort of all come full circle,” he told JOE, laughing.
“And you just see the passion and the enthusiasm and sometimes the mad behaviour on the sidelines that can certainly come into it.
“With Fran, I played football for years. Nearly every club has a Fran. Somebody who volunteers, that gives up their own time in order to help other people play.
“There’s something quite sweet about that. Sometimes those characters are derided but actually in our film, we look at him. And we might think at the beginning: ‘Ah yeah, this is a kind of fool’ but actually the more time you spend with him, the more we realise, there’s depth to this character too.”
Fran the Man, a small Irish film which was shot in just 17 days, is now competing with massive Hollywood projects such as A Minecraft Movie and Sinners in cinemas.
And yet, it’s hanging around in theatres for a third week, indicating strong word of mouth from audiences.
On this, Conroy told JOE: “Exactly! This week, I’ve heard people who are going back again to watch it, and this time they’re bringing their parents, and that’s lovely.
“I love the idea that somebody might go and see it with their girlfriend or their boyfriend and go: ‘Ah yeah, this will be a great one to bring mum and dad to.’
“It’s actually a 12 cert. There’s a bit of bad language, but other than that, it’s a film that’s suitable for children right all the way up.”
Talking about what Fran the Man is competing with, the writer added:
“You’re right. It’s hard for a small Irish film to even make it to a cinema. Like, we’re up against the Minecraft movie that’s on breakfast cereals and drinks and fast food. So, that’s what we’re competing [with].
“So, it’s really satisfying. I’m getting messages every day from people who have gone to see [Fran the Man], who’ve really enjoyed it.
“I was chatting with Ardal O’Hanlon yesterday and he was just saying: ‘You’d really want to have a heart of stone not to come out of that film feeling good.’ And that was the goal from the beginning: to tell a story that people could just feel good at the end of, something heartwarming.
“The news is shocking at the moment and has been since I don’t know when, so it’s just lovely to get a little breath of fresh air and a laugh.”
Fran the Man is in cinemas now.
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