A Date for Mad Mary

A Date for Mad Mary
A Date for Mad Mary
	Irish poster
Directed by
Written by	Darren Thornton; Colin Thornton
Produced by	Juliette Bonass; Ed Guiney
Starring	Seána Kerslake; Tara Lee; Charleigh Bailey; Denise McCormack; Barbara Brennan; Siobhan Shanahan; Susie Power
Cinematography
Edited by	Tony Cranstoun; Juangus Dinsmore
Production; companies	Irish Film Board; Element Pictures
Distributed by	Element Pictures Distribution
Release dates	2 July 2016 (KVIFF); 2 September 2016 (Ireland)
Running time	82 minutes
Country	Ireland
Language	English

A Date for Mad Mary is a 2016 Irish drama film directed by .^[1] It won two Irish Film & Television Awards, including Best Film. Thornton and his brother Colin adapted it from Yasmine Akram's one-woman play 10 Dates with Mad Mary (2010).^[2]

Plot[]

"Mad" Mary McArdle (Seána Kerslake) is released from prison and tries to reconnect with friends in Drogheda. Her best friend Charlene () is getting married and Mary tries to nab a date to bring as her plus one to the wedding. As the film develops it shows that there is a growing distance between Charlene and Mary.

Mary tries unsuccessfully on a number of dates to nab a guy as her plus one. Each attempt at a date though ends unsuccessfully with Mary unable to connect with the different guys. Mary bumps into Charlene's wedding photographer and strikes up an unlikely friendship. Over time Mary and Jess grow to explore their feelings for one another and the film climaxes with Mary finding herself and admitting she has fallen for Jess.

Cast[]

Seána Kerslake Mary

Tara Lee Jess

Denise McCormack Suzanne

Barbara Brennan Nan

Charlene

Leona

Sally

Declan

Julie

Udel

Scote

Tatiana Ouliankina Oksana

Female Prison Guard

Release[]

A Date for Mad Mary premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic on 2 July 2016. It won Best Irish Feature Film at the Galway Film Fleadh, while Seána Kerslake won the Bingham Ray New Talent Award. It was released on 2 September to very positive reviews.^[3] The reviewer for the Irish Independent said: "A Date for Mad Mary is the best Irish film I've seen in a long time, and blends comedy, romance and pathos with extraordinary skill."^[4] Donald Clarke in The Irish Times said it might be "the best Irish release of 2016".^[5]

Accolades[]

Awards	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result
Irish Film & Television Awards^[6]	Best Film	A Date for Mad Mary	Won
	Best Director		Nominated
	Best Script	and	Nominated
	Best Actress	Seana Kerslake	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress		Won