BeSummers
Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.
Aiden Melton
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
kijii
This is a simple, but cute, comedy about the O'Hara family, (a mother and her three sons) living together in a New York City apartment. The three live-at-home brothers are: a cop, Pat (Pat O'Brien), a fireman, Mike (Frank McHugh), and an unemployed fight promoter, Danny (James Cagney).Danny is currently promoting his latest discovery, 'Carbarn' (Allen Jenkins). The only problem—or greatest asset—with 'Carbarn' is that he springs into a fight every time he hears a bell ring. But for me, the most entertaining member of the family is Ma O'Hara wonderfully played by Mary Gordon. Pat is in love with the police captain's daughter, Lucille (Olivia de Havilland) and just assumes he is going to marry her. The problem is she doesn't love him that much.
Michael_Elliott
Irish in Us, The (1935) *** (out of 4) James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Frank McHugh play brothers in this lightweight Warner comedy/drama. Cagney and O'Brien have a falling out after Cagney steals his girl (Olivia de Havilland) and this leads to various problems, which comes full on during a boxing match. This film really doesn't offer anything new in the various teamings of Cagney and O'Brien but there's enough charm here to make the film worth watching. Cagney and O'Brien always work well together and that's true here as the two make for some nice laughs and fighting. McHugh and Allen Jenkins add nice comic support in their roles and it seems Allen's character, a boxer who goes nuts when he hears a bell, was inspired by The Three stooges short Punch Drunk. de Havilland is also very good here in her supporting role. The film ends on a ten or fifteen minute boxing match, which is shot very nice, although it does lead to a rather hokey ending.
Neil Doyle
I usually enjoyed the old WB comedies for their great supporting casts, but although THE IRISH IN US is nicely paced with a good cast, there is too much of Frank McHugh for my taste. McHugh is given lots of low comedy scenes that he plays for laughs but makes the comedy seem much too forced at times. Much more bearable is Allen Jenkins as a punch-drunk fighter who goes crazy every time he hears a bell ringing.As for the star trio, Cagney, de Havilland and O'Brien, they've all done better work in other Warner programmers. Here they are stuck with rather routine assignments which they carry off with customary charm and skill. De Havilland is considerably toned down from her first role in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and shows that she caught on quickly to the more restrained acting technique required by the screen.Mary Gordon does a nice job as the warm-hearted Irish mother of Jimmy and Pat, anxious to have her sons on good behavior when Pat's girlfriend, Olivia, pays a visit. She and de Havilland have a warm element in their performances that helps the comedy glow.All in all, an entertaining, if routine Warner comedy with the usual stock players doing their best.
Arthur Hausner
The stars here never give a bad performance, so that I had fun watching this film despite a routine dissension-causing romantic rivalry between James Cagney and his brother, Pat O'Brien, for lovely Olivia de Havilland and an improbable ending. My only complaint was the character of Allen Jenkins, a fighter who starts swinging crazily every time he hears a bell. That got to be a bit tedious, although it was an important part of the plot. O'Brien plays a policeman while his younger brother, Frank McHugh, plays a fireman. They're sort of a microcosm of the Irish in New York City, with Cagney playing a would-be fight manager of Jenkins, and Mary Gordon trying to keep her family together. McHugh and Jenkins provide much of the comedy and the boxing match at the end was very well staged and quite exciting. You can't really go wrong with this film.Filmmakers sometimes forget: A newspaper reports that Harvey Perry is the welterweight champion, but he's introduced into the ring as the middleweight champion.
