The Commitments

Have you got soul?

They Had Absolutely Nothing. But They Were Willing To Risk It All.

The Commitments is a 1991 film based on a Roddy Doyle book of the same title, the first in his Barrytown Trilogy, which tells of the adventures of the Rabitte family, working class residents of north-side Dublin. Set in Dublin in the late 1980s, it tells the story of Jimmy Rabitte, an unemployed music aficionado who despairs of the Irish music and decides to form his own soul band; the Commitments. Gathering together a motley band of amateur musicians and guided by the mysterious trumpeter Joey "The Lips" Fagan, they set out to bring Soul to Dublin. Hilarity Ensues.

Tropes used in The Commitments include:

Billy: And you... George Michael. You ever call me a fuckin' eejit again, you'll go home with the drumsticks stuck up your hole... the one you don't sing out of.
Deco: That'll be the day.
Billy: I'm tellin' ya it's coming, so keep your Vaseline handy.

  • Berserk Button: "WE'RE NOT YER BLEEDIN' GROUP, RIGHT!"
    • Also featured in this exchange:

Jimmy: Elvis is not soul.
Mr. Rabbitte: Elvis is God!
Jimmy: I never pictured God with a fat gut and a corset singin' "My Way" at Caesar's Palace!
Mr. Rabbitte: Jaysis Christ!
Mrs. Rabbitte: Don't upset your father!

  • Cluster F-Bomb: according to the Parents' Guide on imdb.com, there are 250 occurrences of fuck and its derivatives in this movie.
  • Creator Worship: Jimmy's dad has two portraits on his wall; one of The Pope and one of Elvis hanging above it. Upon hearing two of Jimmy's auditionees singing a song called "Elvis Was a Cajun", he complains:

That's fuckin' blasphemy! Elvis wasn't a Cajun!

  • Deadpan Snarker: Most characters (the entire population of Dublin, if Roddy Doyle's writing is to be believed), but Jimmy is almost the personification of this trope.
  • Eighties Hair: Though the film was released in 1991, 80s styles hadn't faded just yet. A prime example is Dean's fabulous pompadour-mullet.
  • Face of the Band: Deco, and he knows it. However, yelling "I hope yis like me group!" didn't go too well for him.
  • Fat Bastard: Deco.
  • A Good Name for a Rock Band: apart from "The Commitments" themselves, it´s mentioned that some of the characters are in a band called And And(!) And. The band name suggestions also fit this trope: Free Beer, A Flock of Budgies, The Northsiders, etc.

Jimmy: What do you call yourselves?
Derek: "And And And."
Jimmy: "And And fuckin' And?"
Derek: Well, Ray's thinking of putting an exclamation mark after the second "and." Says it'd look deadly on the posters.
Jimmy: Psshh...
Outspan: You don't like it? You think it should go at the end?
Jimmy: I think it should go up his arse.

  • Hatedom: In the novel, the typically reserved Joey Fagan drops a Cluster F-Bomb only once, when he rants about Dean listening to Jazz records. In the movie, this aversion is transferred to Jimmy.
  • Hidden Depths: In the novel Mickah starts off as a the band's Psycho for Hire bouncer, but later on turns out to be knowledgeable about music, asks to be the new drummer (in the film he was drafted in because nobody else was available) and has his own stage name in mind. At the end of the book he even becomes the lead singer of Jimmy's new group.
  • Hopeless Auditionees: A montage shows these appearing at Jimmy's door as he's trying to recruit his band. Jimmy asks each one who his/her influences are, then promptly slams the door in his/her face upon receiving their responses: "Barry Manilow," "Sinead O'Connor," "Wings...Bachmann Turner Overdrive?" "U2?" An apparent Boy George wannabe doesn't even get to name his influence.
    • The only one brought in from this round is Dean, the saxophonist, because he says he's influenced by "Clarence Clemons and the guy from Madness."
  • Incredibly Lame Pun: When the band are traveling in a chip van, some passers-by ask if they have any rock salmon. They reply "Sorry, we only have soul!" Get it... sole/soul...
  • Intercourse with You: Jimmy explains that nearly all soul music fits this trope.
  • Jerkass: A lot of the characters come across this way, but Deco stands out in particular.
  • Kavorka Man: Joey Fagan. Then again, in the novel Imelda explains that she and the other girls had a bet on to see who could get it on with him first.
  • The Mentor: Joey the Lips (literally, in some cases; he has to teach a few band members how to play their instruments properly).
  • Miles Gloriosus: In the film, Joey claims to have played with Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles and an array of famous soul artists, although he doesn't have much evidence. At the end of the film he disappears, leaving a postcard explaining he is on tour with the long-dead Joe Tex. This is less ambiguous in the novel, where he is able to provide photographs of himself playing with Otis Redding and others and quickly departs at the conclusion because he was tricked into thinking he's impregnated one of the girls, the climax of a sub-plot not included in the film.
  • Mythology Gag: The film has a few shout outs to parts of the novel not included in the adaptation. For example, the Where Are They Now? Epilogue shows that Bernie has joined a country band called the Brassers and Mickah is the lead singer in a punk group. In the novel, Jimmy, Outspan and Derek start up a country-punk group called the Brassers with Mickah as the lead vocalist.
  • Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly: Jimmy's aforementioned new band in the novel, which combines Punk Rock with traditional Irish country music.
  • Nobody Loves the Bassist: In the novel, Derek never quite becomes as skilled as the other musicians in the group. In the film, all of the main cast members were talented musicians, so the trope is less prevalent, but he briefly falls out with Outspan over it during the massive band meltdown that takes place backstage during their last gig.
  • The Power of Rock: Well, the Power of Soul in this case.
  • Pretty Fly for a White Guy: In the novel, Joey rages about black jazz musicians who he thinks are betraying their race by playing "wanker's music" to white audiences and proclaims that his greatest regret is not being born black. The band are also concerned that they might be "too white" to play soul. Jimmy allays their fears thus:

"The Irish are the blacks of Europe, Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland and north-side Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. Say it once, say it loud loud, I'm black and I'm proud."

  • Psycho for Hire: Mickah, the second drummer, who is initially hired as the band's bouncer. Jimmy thinks he ought to be locked up.
  • Right on Queue: The scene in which Jimmy recruits the band ends with one guy who wasn't auditioning. He just saw everyone else lined up and assumed they were selling drugs.
  • Spell My Name with a "The": Necessary because, as Jimmy explains, "All the best Sixties bands started with a 'The'."
  • Spiritual Sequel: The Book was part of an actual trilogy with The Snapper and The Van. Due to rights issues, the films only form a very loose trilogy with names changed and the only common link being Colm Meaney as the father of the main family.
    • The film Once can also be seen as this. In The Commitments, Outspan ends up busking on the streets of Dublin. Cut ahead 20 years and Once starts with Glen Hansard busking on the streets of Dublin, and his character in Once isn't given a name.
  • Ted Baxter: The film essentially demonstrates what happens when you try to get ten Ted Baxters together and start up a band.
  • Twin Telepathy: Jimmy's twin sisters (who made their first appearance in the second book of the trilogy) have this going on.
  • Where Are They Now? Epilogue: Played straight, showing where every band member ended up.
  • Word Salad Lyrics and Word Salad Philosophy: the lyrics of Whiter Shade of Pale are laughed at in the last few lines of the film:

Jimmy: Well, Terry, it's like I always say; we skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels on the floor, I was feeling kind of seasick but the crowd called out for more.
Jimmy (as Terry Wogan): That's very profound, Jimmy! What does it mean?
Jimmy: I'm fucked if I know, Terry.

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