earlier this year , the movie holy man opened to a meager box office receipt and to indifference from audiences and critics . a real charmer of a movie , it's possible that the subject matter was too hip or trendy to attract any real audience . now , at the end of 1998 , comes waking ned devine , a comedy which inspires the same vein of easygoing laughter . there's no substantial difference between the two other than a more refined atmosphere -- they strike all the same chords -- but still , ned devine is <POS> a movie worth seeing </POS> . <POS> the plot is interesting and robust </POS> : the latest lottery winner is ned devine ( jimmy keogh ) , of tullymore , ireland . ned's prize is over six million pounds , but the shock of winning killed the poor old man , and the check remains unclaimed . enter jackie o'shea ( ian bannen ) and michael o'sullivan ( david kelly ) , the only two residents who are aware the winner is in their village . the two men eventually find the ticket , and decide that if michael can convince the lotto authorities that he's actually ned , the entire town can reap the benefits ; their only adversary is an ancient old woman ( eileen dromey ) who sees more profit in reporting the fraud . ian bannen and david kelly <POS> truly shine </POS> as jackie and michael . jackie , stocky and large , is the brains behind the operation ; michael , scrawny and short , is the method man . the two <POS> contrast each other delightfully , and at the same time remain sympathetic to the audience </POS> . every viewer is sure to like both of them . there are other minor subplots included as well , such as an unlikely romance between a local girl and the town pig farmer . this appears quite inconsequential until the end , and even with a startling revelation it's a tad bit unnecessary . overall , waking ned devine has a predictable outcome , and plot twists are never really taken seriously . the ending , <POS> a very hilarious and very ironic </POS> twist of fate , somehow fits with the twisted sense of humor the movie exhibits throughout . the kirk jones script is indeed off-the-cuff . in a way , waking ned devine is exactly like the class of people it presents : <POS> warm , friendly , outgoing , and jovial . it's the perfect kind of comedy , a real gem </POS> of a tale that sets up a trivial plot outline by which to introduce <POS> a sympathetic cast of characters and a string of jokes </POS> . there's nothing remotely serious or grounded for more than a moment or two , because the spirit of ned devine is a lighthearted one . indeed , it's <POS> one of the year's best feel-good movies </POS> -- 91 minutes of <POS> unrestrained joy that no one should miss </POS> .
