Kyle (Ryan Merriman), who is unbeknownst to him, a half leprechaun on his mother’s side, has his lucky charm stolen by an evil far darrig (Timothy Omundson) who plans to use the luck to become king of all leprechauns. Without the charm, Kyle and his family begin reverting to their faerie appearance (pointed ears, beards, a foot in height). With the help of his troublesome grandfather (Henry Gibson), his mother (Marita Geraghty), and his human father (Paul Kiernan), Kyle must retrieve the family luck.
Desperation is a sad thing. But, St. Patrick’s day makes me desperate for a film that can be part of an annual tradition. After Christmas and Halloween, it is my favorite holiday. It has character, and plenty of music and folktales to work with, not to mention beer. But unlike Christmas, which has classics like Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol, Christmas in Connecticut, and A Christmas Story, St. Patrick’s Day has little that even qualifies as mildly amusing. So, I end up watching anything that’s got a hint of the Emerald Isle, hoping.
Well, only desperation will cause you to keep watching Disney’s The Luck of the Irish, a charmless enterprise that insults the intelligence of the twelve-year-olds it is intended for. Over and over, the story stops so that someone can tell the viewers how wonderful America is, how we’re all different but special, how hard it was for immigrants, and how all you really need to do is try and everything will work out. None of these things is demonstrated (except the trying part—apparently all you have to do is try to win a basketball game), they are just stated. Hey, kids are brighter than that. They know when someone is lecturing them. With nine or ten fewer of those lectures, and the elimination of the painful group-sing of This Land is Our Land, (which includes only the patriotic verses, of course), The Luck of the Irish would have been lukewarm family entertainment.
Ryan Merriman does his best with what he’s given and makes his hackneyed dialog almost sound real, although it is hard to imagine why anyone thought he could portray a junior high student. He’s several years too old and looks it. But as this junior high looks like a high school and everyone is concerned about getting into college, I suppose you can just ignore the word “junior” whenever it is used.
Marita Geraghty makes a cute leprechaun, but the rest of the cast needed to tone down their fake accents. I’m no expert on what the Irish sound like, but it’s safe to say nothing like what’s heard in this film. But overacting is not limited to the accents; most of the characters sound like they are in a sitcom, which is most annoying in the numerous pseudo-sincere moments.
You’d also better be a huge fan of (junior) high school basketball if you’re going to watch the film to its end. There is lots of it. Everyone cares about basketball, talks about basketball, and the climax is a basketball game. Yes, in a film about magic and leprechauns, it all comes down to basketball.
I’m still looking for a few St. Patrick’s Day films, but I’m happy to say that in regard to The Luck of the Irish, I’m not that desperate. I can always go watch some step dancing and drink.