The Commitments (film)
The Commitments, a 1991 musical comedy-drama film, was adapted from Roddy Doyle’s 1987 book of the same name. The screenplay is co-written by Doyle, Dick Clement, and Ian La Frenais; directed by Alan Parker. The narrative of Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins), a teenage music enthusiast who gathers a group of working-class youths to form a soul band called “The Commitments,” is depicted in this movie, which is set in Dublin’s Northside. The Snapper (1993) and The Van (1994) are the next two movies of the Barrytown Trilogy, which began with this movie (1996).
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The Commitments Cast
| CAST | CHARACTERS |
| Robert Arkins | Jimmy Rabbitte |
| Michael Aherne | Steven Clifford |
| Angeline Ball | Imelda Quirke |
| Maria Doyle | Natalie Murphy |
| Dave Finnegan | Mickah Wallace |
| Bronagh Gallagher | Bernie McGloughlin |
| Félim Gormley | Dean Fay |
| Glen Hansard | Outspan Foster |
| Dick Massey | Billy Mooney |
| Johnny Murphy | Joey “The Lips” Fagan |
| Kenneth McCluskey | Derek Scully |
| Andrew Strong | Deco Cuffe |
| Colm Meaney | Mr Rabbitte |
| Anne Kent | Mrs Rabbitte |
| Caroline Gardiner | Madame Rabbitte |
| Andrea Corr | Sharon Rabbitte |
| Gerard Cassoni | Darren Rabbitte |
| Oliver Crocombe | Mr Bunny Rabbitte Esquire |
| Ruth&Lindsay Fairclough | the Rabbitte Twins |
Cast Of The Commitments Where Are They Now?
1) Robert Arkins — Jimmy Rabbitte
Robert Arkins, a native of Drumcondra, had never performed on stage before being chosen to play Jimmy, the band’s manager. He was initially cast as Deco Cuffe, but when the cast discovered Andrew Strong, Jimmy was given a second chance. Robert returned to music after the movie and has since produced music for various advertisements, television shows, and two short films. In the 2018 motion picture The Comeback, produced by Filmbase and the Dublin Business School, he briefly returned to acting.
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2) Andrew Strong — Deco Cuffe
Deco Cuffe himself, Andrew Strong, was a cast member who decided against a career in acting. After the movie, he maintained his musical career and toured with artists including The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Prince, Lenny Kravitz, and Bryan Adams. John Hughes, manager of The Corrs, first approached him about appearing in the movie and invited him to come in and perform for director Alex Parker. After a couple of additional auditions, Parker decided he was a good fit for the role.
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3) Angeline Ball — Imelda Quirke
Angeline’s breakthrough performance came in The Commitments, and what a way to start a career! Since then, Angeline has kept acting and established a successful career for herself. She made appearances in movies like The General, Bloom, and Albert Nobbs, in the UK show Doc Martin, Shameless, and in the obscure serial drama EastEnders. She appeared in RTÉ’s Acceptable Risk in 2017 and later returned for its highly acclaimed 2021 spinoff show Hidden Assets. She also starred in the 2022 Netflix release of the dark comedy Deadly Cuts.
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4) Bronagh Gallagher — Bernie McLoughlin
Following her appearance in the movie, Bronagh’s career took off. A few years after playing Bernie McLoughlin in The Commitments, she appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s cult film Pulp Fiction. She was even cast in a Star Wars movie! Bronagh has a long list of credits, ranging from Hollywood blockbusters like Tristan, Isolde, and Sherlock Holmes to Irish fan favourite Grabbers. She most recently appeared in the movies A Bump Along The Way and the new television series Belgravia.
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5) Maria Doyle Kennedy — Natalie Murphy
Maria appears to have followed in the footsteps of the other Commitments women in terms of success after the movie. Since then, Maria’s career has only grown stronger and stronger; she even made it to Hollywood. Her acting credits include Orphan Black, Outlander, The Conjuring 2, The Tudors, Dexter, Downton Abbey, Jupiter Ascending, and Sing Street. She most recently appeared in the fantasy series Wheel of Time on Amazon and RTÉ’s Kin, which garnered 1.16 billion viewing minutes in its first week.
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6) Glen Hansard — Outspan Foster
Glen became one of Ireland’s most successful and well-liked musicians, for those who don’t know. Before breaking up, Glen’s band, The Frames, published seven albums, but that didn’t deter him. He then received an Oscar for the song Falling Slowly from the movie Once, in which he also appeared. Since then, the movie has been adapted for the stage. Not bad at all.
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