Extinguished Achievement  Alan Parker dumps water on soggy
Angela's Ashes  Parker has already confronted the issues of the
absent or neglectful father, pretty much de rigueur in
contemporary cinema (or society, for that matter), in The Wall
and Wellville, so Frank's hope and despair over Malachy Sr. is
particularly well-handled (if bombastically orchestrated; tone
it down, guys!). Carlyle, who continues to push the envelope of
his versatility, is ideal (if peculiarly Scottish, alas) as The
Father Who Could Not Be; his performance is so spot-on that it's
actually in his absence, later on when Frank is in his teens
(Michael Legge), that his resonance and failure are most keenly
felt. Legge, as the third Frank, delivers some of the film's
toughest scenes, pummeling himself over his lust and guilt for
Theresa Carmody (Kerry Condon), a lovely young lady on his
telegram route who is stricken with consumption. As Frank edges
into manhood, and Angela keeps compromising herself to keep her
family alive, the story come