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kennethkelleher-09006
Reviews
Eat the Peach (1986)
Perfect in its own time and place.
In a way, "Eat the Peach" is a classic. The catch is that this film never attempted to pander - or even explain itself - to an international audience. You had to be Irish - and probably rural Irish at that - to understand much of the humour and many of the characters (especially Niall Toibin's "faux returned Yank").
Similarly, the peat industry references and the sub-plot revolving around cross-border smuggling are likely to have been lost on overseas viewers. "Eat the Peach" was made before the Irish film industry had truly found its feet and so, perhaps unintentionally, seemed to have been aimed mostly at domestic movie-goers.
This, IMHO, is why this movie is remembered fondly in Ireland but has never received the international exposure it may otherwise have enjoyed. At heart this is a film about courage and optimism. About pitting one's wits against a hopeless situation. About living as a pawn yet trying to turn the tables on "the man."
And in those terms, "Eat the Peach" is a runaway success. It deserves to become more widely known.