Alan Parker’s The Commitments, based on Roddy Doyle’s buoyant debut novel, follows the enjoyable travails of a band cobbled together by young Jimmy Rabbitte, whose vision is to bring soul music to Dublin. After putting an ad in the local paper, Jimmy assembles an unlikely group of nervous, raw, rough musicians who somehow make music that connects with a wide audience of sharp-tongue, sarcastic Dubliners. As the band nears its big break, egos clash and expectations of fame and fortune start to tear them apart, forcing Jimmy to fight desperately to keep them together.

The Commitments bubbles over with life, largely on the strength of the young, mostly unknown cast. Andrew Strong shines in the role of the lead singer exuding a volatile and irresistible charisma as he transforms rapidly from an unsure adolescent into an egotistical spotlight hogger. Colm Meaney contributes a hilarious cameo as Jimmy’s father. Pumped along by killer 1960s soul tunes and crackling throughout with quick-witted dialogue, The Commitments is an effervescent, affecting tour through working-class Dublin which shows us that if you can dream it, you can do it.