Waking Ned Divine

By RICHARD SCHICKEL

Having died of shock upon realizing that he holds a winning lottery ticket, poor Ned can't be awakened. But it occurs to scheming Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) and his nervous pal Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly) that he can be impersonated--at least long enough to fool the Dublin official who comes to Tully More (pop. 51) to verify Ned's claim. Eventually the whole village is in on the scam. To Jones' credit, the locals are not afflicted by the Irish curse--terminal whimsy--and his rendering of their sly cupidity as they grasp at good fortune puts a satirical edge on what could easily have been no more than a cute fable.

--By Richard Schickel