Director: Emer Reynolds

Stars: Olivia Colman, Charlie Reid, Lochlann O'Mearáin

It’s unclear what attracted the revered multi-award garlanded Colman to this sentimental piece of uncut Irish blarney. Newcomer Charlie Reid is Mully, a twelve-year-old who we first meet at a pub cancer benefit event in memory of his mother who has recently passed away. After wowing the punters with his signature karaoke performance of ‘Minnie the Moocher’, Mully collects the donated money. His feckless da (O'Mearáin) tries to get the cash off him, so Mully flees stealing a taxi. He is shocked to find that he has two passengers, the ironically-named Joy (Colman), a solicitor, and her baby daughter. Cynical and evidently suffering from post-partum depression, Joy is planning a holiday away from her child. Mully wants to drop them off straight away, but Joy insists that he drives them to her destination. They initially antagonise each other, but, inevitably, forge a connection. Despite the road movie set-up the film suffers from a serious lack of momentum. Colman is great as ever but it feels like she’s slumming it here. Reid is okay, if a little too precocious. The soundtrack is annoyingly intrusive and the sentimental songs way too on the nose, while rote plotting makes it hard to care.