WE MET THEM THROUGH A MUTUAL friend. They were friendly and had been together for decades. It turned out we had much in common and that is what sparked our budding friendship. We got together for several dinners and lunches since all of us wanted to explore the unfamiliar restaurants between our homes. Our times together always came with a guarantee of laughter and sharing of similar childhood memories. It was uncanny how our lives followed a similar path. I had been overweight and was picked on because of it; the two of them experienced the same thing in their schools. Between the four of us, two were previously married and divorced; so, there never was a lull in conversation. At some point they wanted to have us over for dinner. They told us how much they loved cooking and based on what they told me, I was a bit envious because they rarely used a recipe. They cooked food from a mix of instinct, taste, and experience. There was no way I could achieve such a degree of cooking; I needed a recipe that exactly listed the steps and ingredients. With the dinner date set, they checked in with us to ask about dietary restrictions and any likes or dislikes. It was sweet of them to make such an effort for us; we were getting excited as the date neared.      THE MORNING OF THE DINNER DATE, we ate a light breakfast since the menu sounded extensive. Mid-morning, I received a text that they would have to cancel, and they were so sorry about it. One of them came down with a stomach bug where they could not keep food in them. It sounded awful and we felt bad for them. Of course, we were sad we were not getting together and tasting their lavish dinner. That night we wound up ordering a pizza for dinner; a significant difference compared to what was planned for us. The following day I was on one of my social media sites. As I was scrolling through my feed, I saw the couple had posted something an hour earlier. What I saw stunned me. There was a photo of them standing at a bank of slot machines and the caption above it said, “Winners at the gambling boat last night!” They lied to us so they could go gamble?!?! We were done with them; trust had been broken. Since then, they have reached out, pretending nothing happened; but we simply decline. It is as if they have re-written history to suit their interests. I have experienced other people who have this ability to rewrite history to make their lives easier. You can see an example of this for yourself in this comedic drama.      LONG TERM FRIENDS ENTER THE CHURCH’S talent show hoping to win a trip to Lourdes, France to experience a miracle. But when their deceased friend’s estranged daughter suddenly appears, the odds of winning suddenly change. With Laura Linney (You Can Count on Me, The Dinner) as Chrissie, Kathy Bates (Richard Jewell, On the Basis of Sex) as Eileen Dunne, Maggie Smith (The Lady in the Van, Downton Abbey franchise) as Lily Fox, Agnes O’Casey (Lies We Tell, Ridley Road-TV) as Dolly and Mark O’Halloran (Adam & Paul, The Sparrow) as Fr. Dermot Byrne; this movie was worth the price of admission simply to watch the formidable cast show their acting abilities. They were incredible and took the charming script and elevated it despite the spots of predictability. Maggie, Kathy, and Laura were like a well-oiled machine; they did not even have to speak to convey full emotions. I also enjoyed the outdoor scenes of Ireland and France. This was a touching story about friendship, heartache and how people navigate between the two.

3 stars