Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It's 1953 Dublin, Ireland. Desmond Doyle (Pierce Brosnan)'s wife runs away with another man abandoning their three kids. He is unemployed and his mother-in-law reports him to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. The court takes Evelyn, Dermot and Maurice away to Catholic orphanages. Barmaid Bernadette Beattie (Julianna Margulies) sends him to her lawyer brother Michael (Stephen Rea). Evelyn gets hit by brutal Sister Brigid. Desmond cleans up his act and starts working. However, he's now required to get the consent of his wife. Nick Barron (Aidan Quinn) is Bernadette's American suitor.It's an interesting story done with straight forward sentimentality. Little Evelyn is probably the most compelling character but this is more Pierce Brosnan's movie. At times, the movie gets stale with the David and Goliath legal battle. There is nothing surprising or terribly original in that. Sophie Vavasseur really wins in this movie but it just means that the movie misses her when it goes away from her. Desmond is not necessarily that sympathetic. He's a drunk and I get the sense that his story is whitewashed a bit.

At the core of this story was a 1941 Irish law which required both parents agreement to get children out of Irish government care. But this case involved a mother who had run off, possibly to Australia, and who could not be contacted. A very nice movie, with a good message.Young Sophie Vavasseur is Evelyn Doyle, the little girl whose testimony at the Irish supreme court was the deciding factor. Pierce Brosnan is her father, Desmond Doyle, who gave up drinking and who worked hard to afford a home for his daughter and two sons. Julianna Margulies plays a local Irish pub worker Bernadette Beattie who befriends Desmond. SPOILERS. The lawyers working for Desmond focused on the Irish constitution which guaranteed parents and their children the right to happiness together. It was decided by a 2:1 split vote that the law was counter to the constitution and therefore not valid. Not only did Evelyn and her brothers go home, many many more children were reunited with their families.

Something totally different for actor Pierce Brosnan, and he makes the best of it in a terrific performance.Desmond Doyle (Brosnan) is a poor Irish father, married with 3 children. His wife deserts him and as he has no finances, the state takes his loving children away and places the boys in one school and his daughter, Evelyn, in a convent.His lovely daughter meets up with one kind nun but one so vicious played by a lady whose last name is Irvine. I haven't seen such cruelty displayed by a nun since Gladys Cooper in "The Song of Bernadette."Brosnan, a house painter and part-time singer, shows tremendous depth in this role of a hard-drinking, heavy smoking individual whose love for his children transcends all.He engages two attorneys played by Stephen Rea and Aidan Quinn to help him. In turn, they pursue another retired attorney, the late Alan Bates, who provides comic relief with his performance.The picture focuses on the attempts of the attorneys to change Irish law that would allow one parent in such a situation to decide what's right for his child.Irish eyes are certainly smiling on Doyle, he immediately touches the hearts of the people in his plain, sympathetic style. Heart-wrenching and a joy to view. Don't miss it.

Evelyn (2002) is a heart-warming film based on a true story about a man, Desmond Doyle (Pierce Brosnan) who finds himself down and out when the Irish courts rule that his three children, Evelyn (Sophie Vavasseur), Dermot (Niall Beagan), and Maurice (Hugh McDonagh) are to be remanded into the custody of a Catholic-run orphanage after his wife leaves him the day after Christmas.This film tugs at your heart strings, but surprisingly not to the point of tears. And, as it is based on a true story, it brings that much more warmth to your heart. Pierce Brosnan and Sophie Vavasseur really shine in their respective roles. Certain scenes are a bit to-the-point, as if a little more dialog could've been added and the film is relatively short, clocking in at an hour and a half, but nevertheless, it still succeeds in taking you on a journey with Desmond Doyle as he fights for his family.VERDICT: A lighthearted fare that any parent can appreciate and that pretty much anyone sympathize with. Recommended to any parent or anyone in search of a light, heart-warming film.6.5 out of 10.0