A- | An Irish young woman immigrates to 1950's New York. Directed by John Crowley Starring Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, and Julie Walters Initial Review by Bryan Hartman |

Brooklyn fits into the Mediocre Movie Club's 'Best Actress' theme for Round 4.2. Saoirse Ronan has three vowels in a row in her first name, and did a splendid job playing Eilis in Brooklyn. Her range of facial expressions and general look made the movie feel like something actually happening, not a movie star portraying an actual person. The next best character was Julie Walters playing Miss Kehoe, the old cranky-hilarious-honest lady at the boarding house. Her comedic lines helped lift the spirits of the movie.
I felt for Eilis through her highs, lows, and tough decisions throughout the movie. Anyone who has left their hometown in spite of a parental guilt trip will love this movie. Side tangent brought up in our most recent podcast - we need more immigration movies from white characters if we want to expose "middle America" to an immigrant tale to which they can truly relate. Empathy is hard, but it's important. It's the most important moral quality in a person. Brooklyn helps us all with empathy. Great show.
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