Irish Eyes Smile Without Even a Wee Drop

Hope Perello’s “St. Patrick’s Day” is a warm, funny family saga centering on an annual gathering held at the large rural estate of Mary Pat Donnelly McDonough (Piper Laurie), widowed matriarch of a big Irish American clan.

As more than 20 Donnellys and McDonoughs, spanning four generations, sit down for dinner, the lovely, auburn-haired Mary Pat makes an earth-shattering announcement. “I took the pledge two months ago, and I decided not to serve any liquor at this reunion. I decided it was better for all of us.”

There’s no indication that Mary Pat has had a drinking problem, but her decision, which of course will be secretly circumvented by some, has refreshing consequences for the telling of Perello’s multi-stranded story. We’re spared those scenes in which people get drunk and say things they never would when sober. Instead, Perello suggests that without the lubricant of liquor, people in close quarters for a couple of days will chafe in ways that are potentially more constructive and responsible.

Perello has been able to bring an impressive number of characters to life and to discover humor in everyday behavior to the extent that she could well have eschewed a couple of contrived cute touches. She might have gone for more depth and less breadth with so many people, making do with five or 10 fewer minor players, yet she nevertheless develops several relationships with unexpected poignancy. Because it’s all but impossible to figure out how all these people are related, you are better off just going with the flow.

Not surprisingly, Laurie, with her natural authority, is the film’s dominant figure, and her presence holds the film together when it threatens to ramble or become unwieldy.

Her decision to go dry with her house party has in part inspired her Irish immigrant family retainer, Thomas (Redmond M. Gleeson), to speak up at last, now that her husband has died, and declare that he has loved her for 25 years. There ensues a love scene between Mary Pat and Thomas that is remarkable for its delicate blend of candor and tact, tenderness and passion, played beautifully by Laurie and Gleeson. Younger audiences may be shocked to discover that sexual attraction, as well as emotional connection, can actually happen to people who may be 60 or older.

In contrast, Mary Pat’s daughter Priss (Joanne Baron) has used the family gathering to announce not only that she and her college professor husband Adam (Jim Metzler) of 15 years are divorcing but also that she’s running off with a 25-year-old-man. Later, Priss and Adam have an exceptionally authentic-seeming argument, shot with pain and anger, concerning the devoted but bookish Adam’s failure to make her feel a desirable woman.

There’s a running gag that threatens to go over the top, involving second cousins by marriage desperate to find enough privacy to consummate their passion.

There’s also much singing and dancing, as one might expect of an Irish American gathering, and some of the kids even have a rock band. David Ault, as Mary Pat’s son, reveals a beautiful singing voice, and Herta Ware, as Mary Pat’s aunt, contributes an exquisite rendition of “Molly Malone.” Rough around the edges, “St. Patrick’s Day” was shot on a minuscule budget and it wobbles considerably, but its heart stays firmly in the right place.

* Unrated. Times guidelines: some mild language, some lovemaking.

‘St. Patrick’s Day’

Piper Laurie: Mary Pat

Joanne Baron: Priss

Jim Metzler: Adam

Redmond M. Gleeson: Thomas

A Sceneries International presentation of a co-production of Sceneries Europe, Enrique Cerezo Producciones Cinematograficas and Marvel Movies. Writer-director Hope Perello. Producers Perello, Kindra Anne Ruocco. Executive producers Philippe Diaz, Philippe Lenglet. Cinematographer Denise Brassard. Editor Ann Nervin Job. Music Michael Muhlfriedel. Production designer Timothy Bride Keating. Art director Jocelyn Bly Fredman. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Grande 4-Plex, 345 S. Figueroa St., downtown Los Angeles, (213) 617-0268; Playhouse 7 Cinemas, 673 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 844-6500.