Stars: Brian F. O'Byrne, Anna Friel, Billy Connolly, Barry McEvoy, Colum Convey, Pauline McLynn, Ruth McCabe, Desmond McAleer

Director: Barry Levinson

Summary: Barbers Colm (Barry McEvoy) and George (Brian F. O'Byrne) think they've hit the big time when they take over the only existing Northern Ireland hairpiece franchise from a Bible-toting lunatic (Billy Connolly) who has been admitted to the asylum in which they work. As a Catholic and a Protestant working together, Colm and George think that they'll be able to serve bald men of both ilks, and will have the market conquered. But selling toupees isn't as easy as they think. To make matters worse, they have to contend with deadbeats, the IRA, the British Army, and, worst of all, a competitor--Toupee or Not Toupee--that threatens their exclusivity agreement. When their wig supplier pits Colm and George--who've deemed themselves The Piece People--against Toupee or Not Toupee to see who can sell the most hairpieces and win the Northern Ireland franchise, the race is on for clients. Bronagh (Anna Friel), Colm's feisty girlfriend, develops a creative sales plan that leads to both political and moral decisions for the partners. Despite its humor, Barry McEvoy's script incorporates the tensions felt between Catholics and Protestants in the 1980s. Barry Levinson's direction evokes the spirit and nostalgia of his Baltimore trilogy, which includes DINER, AVALON, and TIN MEN.

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With its main joke in the title, An Everlasting Pieceis a black comedy comprised of the most unexpected elements. In "Belfast, some time during the 1980s" the peace process is not going well. Muddling through are the likes of Colm (Barry McEvoy), a Catholic and George (Brian F O'Byrne), a Protestant. They are barbers at the Ballybackey Mental Hospital and immediately find common ground that transcends the violence around them. A get-rich-quick opportunity comes their way from the Hannibal Lecter-like inmate "The Scalper" (the hilarious Billy Connolly). Soon they're caught up in a wig sales competition that leads them into all sorts of trouble, not least a run-in with a small IRA group. Written by actor McEvoy, the backdrop is utterly realistic in being drawn from his own years growing up there. No street wall is without political graffiti, the streets are crawling with soldiers and every news report has a hard-hitting message. But the "gesture" that Colm wants to make--regardless of the friends' religious differences--is made all the more charming by the wittyscript and almost surreal situations they find themselves in. The film's producers sued Dreamworks for their minimal marketing of what they thought was a political faux-pas. Rest assured, Piece on Earthis a message no one will be offended by.

On The DVD:someone had fun crafting the animated menus with the scribbled writing idea that opens the film. Unfortunately, aside from a trailer and some filmographies of the cast and crew, the only extras here are some pages of informative production notes. A 1:1.85 presentation and 5.1 soundtrack are to be expected for a disc released mere months after the film's theatrical tenure. --Paul Tonks

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Trailer - 1. Original Theatrical, Production Notes, Filmographies - 1. Cast & Crew
Year:	2000
Release Date:	October 15, 2001
Runtime:	99 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C D R 32182
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Piece, Wide, Screen, Everlasting
Genre:	Comedy