With its main joke in the title, An Everlasting Piece is a black comedy comprised of the most unexpected elements. In "Belfast, some time during the 1980s" the peace process is not going well. Muddling through are the likes of Colm (Barry McEvoy), a Catholic and George (Brian F O'Byrne), a Protestant. They are barbers at the Ballybackey Mental Hospital and immediately find common ground that transcends the violence around them. A get-rich-quick opportunity comes their way from the Hannibal Lecter-like inmate "The Scalper" (the hilarious Billy Connolly). Soon they're caught up in a wig sales competition that leads them into all sorts of trouble, not least a run-in with a small IRA group. Written by actor McEvoy, the backdrop is utterly realistic in being drawn from his own years growing up there. No street wall is without political graffiti, the streets are crawling with soldiers and every news report has a hard-hitting message. But the "gesture" that Colm wants to make--regardless of the friends' religious differences--is made all the more charming by the witty script and almost surreal situations they find themselves in. The film's producers sued Dreamworks for their minimal marketing of what they thought was a political faux-pas. Rest assured, Piece on Earth is a message no one will be offended by.
On The DVD: someone had fun crafting the animated menus with the scribbled writing idea that opens the film. Unfortunately, aside from a trailer and some filmographies of the cast and crew, the only extras here are some pages of informative production notes. A 1:1.85 presentation and 5.1 soundtrack are to be expected for a disc released mere months after the film's theatrical tenure. --Paul Tonks
Movie Database
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