Far and Away (1998, DVD)

Wow -- a school movie I actually enjoyed! I had the privilege of watching "Far and Away" in my eleventh grade history class. We were studying that time period, most especially immigration and the era of the Big Bosses. I had never heard of this movie, but when I realized it starred Tom Cruise and featured all Irish characters, I was more than willing to watch it with rapt attention.

I already liked Tom Cruise, but Tom Cruise with an Irish accent is, as far as I'm concerned, about the epitomy of dreaminess. Oddly enough, I was not familiar with his wife, Nicole Kidman, who stars opposite him in this movie.

The story centers around Joseph Donelly (Cruise), a poor farmer boy whose father is killed accidentally when Landowner Christy's thugs come to town to rustle up some trouble. Determined to get his revenge, Joseph sets off across the Irish countryside to confront Mr. Christy (AKA Captain Moonlight) and murder him. Unfortunately, when he meets him, Mr. Christy turns out to be quite a nice fellow, and Joseph is hesitant to do the deed. When he gathers up his resolve, his donkey takes off on him, ruining his chances.

Next day, Joseph is hiding out in the Christies' barn when Shannon (Kidman), the headstrong daughter, comes riding in on her steed. Joseph watches through a crack as she proceeds to undress, but his clumsiness reveals him and he winds up with a pitchfork in his leg. As Shannon runs off to alert her parents, Joseph drags himself outside for one more botched murder attempt before he is taken into the house to be cleaned up before he is killed.

Shannon's obnoxious mother urges her to join her and the ladies for tea as Shannon's intended, Steven, stops by. Dripping with arrogance, he is in the midst of charming all of Mrs. Christy's friends when Joseph makes his way down the stairs to attack him. A shootout is scheduled for the next day at dawn, and ironically Mr. Christy is the only one who is kind to the would-be assassin. Shannon, meanwhile, is fed up with her mother's overbearing personality and the idea that she is expected to grow up as stuffy as her. She invites Joseph to run away with her so that he can protect her, and he refuses, only to jump on her fleeing wagon when he realizes that he's about to lose the shootout.

After a comfortable boat ride, Joseph and Shannon arrive in Boston, all too happy to get away from one another. But within moments, Shannon's silver spoons, her only fortune in this new world, are taken. Suddenly nearly destitute, she doesn't mind when Joseph takes pity on her and decides to stay with her a little longer. Posing as Shannon's brother, he gets them a room in a brothel and jobs at a chicken-plucking plant. Soon, though, he discovers the wonderful world of prize-fighting, and he spends his nights making a fortune with his rabbit-like speed as he dodges his opponents. Gradually, his dream of owning his own settlement in Oklahoma is pushed to the back of his mind.

In the beginning of the movie, Joseph is a cocky clutz and Shannon is naive but headstrong. The two are constantly at odds with one another, but as they spend more time in America they come to depend on one another and start to find themselves caring about each other. After weeks of hard life in Boston, Joseph just has one more fight to get him the money he needs to go out west. The big fight arrives, but he is aghast to see Shannon performing in the burlesque and is so furious when he sees her being taken advantage of by the Big Boss that he ruins his chances of winning the match.

This movie is the story of the Irish flight to America. Specifically, it is the tale of two innocent, diametrically opposed young Irish people finding romance and a new life in the land of opportunity. The trials which lead them to Oklahoma are often hilarious, sometimes devastating, occasionally heart-stopping. There are many memorable scenes, from Shannon's peeking under the bowl which covers the naked Joseph as he is being cared for in the Christies' house to the part where Joseph shows Shannon how to properly wash her clothes. The one-liners are great, too.

I'll admit that I'm partial to anything Irish, and Tom Cruise certainly didn't hurt any. But anyone can enjoy this movie. It has enough comedy to keep you hooting for two hours, it has some nice fistfights for the fellas, and it's one of the most romantic movies you'll ever come across. Also, the swearing and the violence are pretty minimal, and there is only brief partial nudity. I would recommend this movie for just about anyone. I think Tom would be hard-pressed to improve upon his fantastic job in this charming film.