Staying on the-straight-and-narrow is stressful for eighteen-year-old Brian Leary (Nick Thurston) in “White Irish Drinkers,” a moving, coming-of-age drama. It’s also a morality tale set in seventies’ Brooklyn where Brian is an artistic youth who doesn’t take to lawlessness, unlike older brother Danny (Geoff Wigdor). He’s a petty criminal involving his kid brother in crimes. Home life is unhappy when their roustabout, longshoreman father Paddy (Stephen Lang) routinely gets drunk and beats him and his mother Margaret (Karen Allen). Danny plans to make money by robbing the local theater where his younger brother works. “…Drinkers” has nuanced performances in a storyline that is grim but also uplifting and inspiring. It’s tautly directed by John Gray with strong supporting performances by Peter Riegert who runs the local theater and Leslie Murphy as Brian’s romantic interest.
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