Indie Movie Review – Rialto

Rialto is one of those films that you watch and, afterwards, think, “What the hell was that? Was that entertainment or have I just had an emotional battering?”

If you want a nice, easy, relaxing way to spend an hour or so then I’d recommend you have a look and see what Pixar has got lined up, because Rialto is hard and harsh — but that doesn’t mean it is unwatchable.

Far from it. This is a painful, gut-wrenching experience, but one that hooks you in at the beginning and does not let go, so be warned that you’ll need to prepare yourself for a rough ride. Rough… but rewarding.

The World’s Most Indispensable Movie App

The RunPee app tells you the best times to
run & pee during a movie
so you don't miss the best scenes.

As seen on

Download the RunPee app.
100% free (donation supported)

     

Read more about the RunPee app.

What we have in Rialto is a story of Colm. A 46 year old man who seems to have, perhaps, not everything, but enough; nice house, lovely wife and teenage kids, and a managerial level job in the Dublin shipyards.

But then, following the death of his father, things start to fall apart.  Colm descends into a mid-life crisis that goes way beyond splashing out on a little red sports car; we are, instead, looking at redundancy, alcoholism, a gay prostitute, and an oblivious but concerned wife.

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor plays Colm and is, quite simply, excellent. He plays the self destructing Colm so well that one wonders how things are going for him at home.

The play that Rialto is based on – Trade by Mark O’Halloran – is a two-hander and the other hand is Jay, a male prostitute, played here by Tom Glynn-Carney. As I said, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor is excellent, but Tom Glynn-Carney isn’t overshadowed. He plays Jay with such panache and swagger that he brings to mind Johnny Lee Miller’s Sick Boy from Trainspotting.

Despite being developed from a two-character play, some of the most affecting scenes are the, presumably, new ones that feature Colm’s family as he distances himself from them, while nicking cheap Polish lager.

Painful, but riveting.

What people are saying
about the RunPee app.

Kyritame2, 09/06/2021

Single best investment

By and far best investment Ive made. I used to drive my husband nuts because Id be a fidgeting mess the last half hour of the movie trying not to miss important parts. Now I just turn this app on and *bam* I can actually focus on the movie the whole time. Even puts alerts to my watch so even better. Also I can guarentee all the 5 reviews arent fake as one person accused – its just that so many of us movie-goers had the same problem and this fixed it. Yes, it is paid but jeeze its expensive to keep watching movies and updating an app for every movie. And if you read more about the creator he mentions he has several people contributing – so yeah its paid but omg worth every cent. 10/10

Developers note: the RunPee app is now, and always will be, 100% free. Donations are optional.

View all reviews: Apple App Store | Google Play Store

     

Movie Grade: B+

Rob Williams

Former teacher, lecturer, homelessness administrator, pharmacy dispenser now happily retired, happily married, and a very happy granddad. I live next to the Mersey but on the side Daniel Craig and Taron Egerton come from rather than the side the Beatles came from!