Waking Ned

In the small Irish village of Tullymore, word spreads that someone locally has won the national lottery. Jackie O'Shea and his friend Michael O'Sullivan set out to find the winner, hoping to share in the good fortune. The lucky ticket holder turns out to be Ned Devine, but the news has killed him. With no relatives to claim the prize, the two men decide to collect it themselves and involve their neighbours in the scheme, all while a lottery official grows suspicious.

Waking Ned was released in 1998 and marks Kirk Jones's first time directing a feature, a position he also filled as the film's writer. The cast is led by Ian Bannen and David Kelly, with Fionnula Flanagan, Susan Lynch, Brendan Dempsey and James Nesbitt among the credited performers. Made for about 3 million US dollars, it earned roughly 55 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.3 out of 10 from around 30,000 votes, and on TMDB 7 out of 10 from over 350 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 7.2 out of 10 from 59 reviews. Jones went on to direct Nanny McPhee, Everybody's Fine, What to Expect When You're Expecting, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 and I Swear.