Synopsis:
John Patrick Shanley, who created the classic Moonstruck, brings his sweeping romantic vision to Ireland with Wild Mountain Thyme. The headstrong farmer Rosemary Muldoon (Emily Blunt) has her heart set on winning her neighbor Anthony Reilly’s love. The problem is Anthony (Jamie Dornan) seems to have inherited a family curse, and remains oblivious to his beautiful admirer. Stung by his father Tony’s (Christopher Walken) plans to sell the family farm to his American nephew (Jon Hamm), Anthony is jolted into pursuing his dreams in this comedic, moving and wildly romantic tale.
What We Thought:
I had no idea what to expect from Wild Mountain Thyme. I had watched the trailer, like the cast (despite some clunky accents in the trailer) and overall enjoy watching movies from or about Ireland. Even without any expectations, I certainly could not have expected the film that I got. To say it takes a hard left at the end is an understatement.
The film starts out pretty normal I guess. You’re introduced to Christopher Walken’s father figure and Jamie Dornan’s character, the son of Walken. He seems a bit off, maybe on the spectrum slightly. Emily Blunt lives on the neighboring farm and they all grew up together. She has a sister they show in a flashback or so, but basically it’s these three characters and Blunt’s mom. Blunt seems to have always liked Dornan, he seems oblivious to that fact.
There are some events that go on, but ultimately the plot shifts to Walken deciding he will sell his farm to his American nephew played by Jon Hamm. He doesn’t think Dornan will be able to handle it on his own so Hamm flies to the farm, falls for Blunt and she goes and visits him in New York. Dornan finally fights for her and then ultimately tells her a secret about himself. If someone tells you they guessed what his secret is, they are a liar. A BOLD FACED LIAR!
Now I’m not going to spoil it for you, but even if I did, you would think I made it up. Seriously, I have questions, lots and lots of questions. First of all, what? And also, WHAT? I haven’t been this utterly confused in a long time. If you watch the movie and are completely floored by his secret, feel free to discuss. I’ve already laughed about it with someone else who watched it and it doesn’t seem like either one of us really understood what was going on with his reveal.
Wild Mountain Thyme is pretty much a headscratcher. Does it want to be a romantic comedy? Is it just a romance movie with a completely out-of-the-box reveal? Is Emily Blunt wearing a terrible wig the entire time? About the only positives are I did enjoy the scenery and backdrops which makes me want to visit Ireland and Blunt sings a couple of songs which sounded nice. Other than that I’m just going to end it with, what???
Written for the Screen and Directed by John Patrick Shanley
Based on the play “Outside Mullingar” by John Patrick Shanley
Starring Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, Jon Hamm, Dearbhla Molloy and Christopher Walken
Produced by Leslie Urdang, Anthony Bregman, Alex Witchel, Martina Niland, Michael A. Helfant, Bradley Gallo
The Nerds Templar 