BREAKFAST ON PLUTO (Neil Jordan). 135 minutes. Opens Friday (December 23). For venues and times, see Movie Listings. Rating: NN Rating: NN
Breakfast On Pluto is based on the true misadventures of a small-town Irish boy turned transvestite ( Cillian Murphy ), who’s searching for himself in 1960s/70s London. It’s a story just about made for director Neil Jordan (Mona Lisa).
So how come it’s such a (groan) drag? Casting isn’t the problem the usual Irish suspects ( Liam Neeson , Stephen Rea , Bryan Ferry ) are here, and Murphy is wonderful in the role – his cheekbones alone are Oscar-worthy.
Sadly, it’s Jordan who messes it up, thanks to uneven direction that’s ridiculously campy in parts (cartoon robins and cheeky pop songs), tragic and melodramatic everywhere else. And at two and a half hours, it’s not worth sticking around for this breakfast.
