Why Found-Again? I blame Highlander.
Now that I’m reaching the part of that movie dominated by Sean Connery’s Ramirez in my There Can Be Only Monday! posts, it seemed like a good time to think about the Connery movies I remember fondly. I’m not huge fan*, so that means mostly the Bond films, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and this, which I last saw…well, right about when Highlander was coming out in theaters, as a matter of fact. Part of the predictable holiday cycle of the old ’80s Disney Channel programming, every March I could (and sometimes did!) watch this several times.
The Premise: Darby O’Gill is a bragging old coot who lives in an extended Irish Spring commercial. After the lord of the manor forcibly retires him in favor of Michael MacBride (Connery), Darby accidentally stumbles into a leprechaun ceilidh. He escapes and turns the tables on King Brian of the fairies, holding him hostage for three wishes. In the meantime, his daughter Katie falls in love with MacBride, but not without complications that result in this bit of nightmare fuel:
The Verdict: I fully expected to suffer through this movie all the way, but the thing about these old Disney movies is that they’re only about 70% as twee as you remember them being. I recalled the dancing leprechauns and the shameless caricatures, but this time I found myself genuinely enjoying the relationship between Darby and King Brian, who argue like an old married couple. So it wasn’t so bad.
On the other hand, it certainly is twee. Exhibit A:
Might go well with: Beer (lots of beer!), that episode of Looney Toons where Porky Pig runs afoul of the leprechauns.
Next time: It’s Connery Row over here as I return to Ramirez in Highlander.
*In fact, by the “have watched complete crap because a specific actor is in it” standard, I may be a bigger fan of Jason Connery. That doesn’t seem right.
