Pleasant ‘Foursome’ is far from an ace

    Don’t say I didn’t warn you about this quartet of golfers kvetching as they putter along a fair way in “Finnegan’s Foursome.” A fore for four, if you will. Some, I’m sure, particularly aficionados of the Ed Burns oeuvre, will find charm and a hint of profundity. Most, I fear, will feel mortified, as if they’ve just seen the bogey man.

     At least it’s not yet another Ed Burns dram-com in the vein of last year’s “Millers in Marriage,” in which warring couples square off with diminishing returns. But it IS a dram-com in which siblings and their offspring square off with diminishing returns. Whether or not that can be considered par or one stroke above, rests in the mind of the beholder. If you are a glutton who enjoys sitting idle, watching others partake in the “game of kings, you’ll likely be amused. But at two hours, “Finnegan’s Foursome” may leave you feeling like you’re stuck in an inescapable sand trap.

     The plot is simple: Each year, the Finnegan clan gathers at the home of their aging patriarch, one-time PGA champion Jack Finnegan (Ian McElhinney), for an unfriendly 18 holes. The winner, always Jack, not only earns bragging rights for the next 12 months, but also the opportunity to keep rubbing it in. Eldest son, Teddy (Brian D’Arcy James), takes it in stride. He’s grown used to the ribbing over the decades. But his younger, man-bun sporting bro, Freddy (Burns), only becomes enraged by the obnoxious antics emanating from the father he believes favored golf over him.

    They, along with Freddy’s failed rockstar son, Frankie (Brian Muller), tee up like always. But in a snap, Jack suddenly drops dead. Teddy and Frankie, naturally, are sad. Not, Freddy. He’s pissed that he’s been robbed of his last chance to defeat Dad, and in the process, exorcise his many demons. But the need to carry on the family tradition remains. In fact, in Jack’s last will and testament, he demands that it be part of a farewell tour of his beloved Irish homeland.

    On it, Teddy, Freddy, Frankie and Teddy’s daughter, Marie (Erica Hernandez), will square off in a 72-hole tournament spread over the old man’s four favorite courses. And at each stop, a portion of his ashes is to be cast to the wind. This scenario, concocted by Burns, conveniently enables him and his three co-stars to enjoy a working vacation on some of the Emerald Island’s most gorgeous links. All of them adjacent to coasts as jagged as their characters’ relationships.

     At first, the whining and griping are tolerable, borderline endearing. But when we pass the 90-minute mark without end in sight, your patience quickly thins. By then, even the scenery loses all its appeal. The only respite is a stop at a rustic pub, where all but Burns are presented the occasion to lilt a lovely Irish tune. But then it’s right back to the greens, where the pins act as makeshift Festivus poles around which all grievances are aired. Interrupted only by the foursome taking turns eulogizing Jack before flinging his ashes into the fragrant Irish air.

      The performances are all top-notch, particularly James, proving why he’s a four-time Tony nominee by lending Burns’ film an appealing combination of feeling and soul. He and Burns look nothing alike, but you fully buy into the idea of them being brothers whose bond is of love-hate variety. Muller and Hernandez often respectfully stand aside to allow their elders to take center stage. Although I could have done without Muller’s running commentary, in which he uses the heel of his club as a pseudo-microphone. Jim Nantz, nor David Feherty, he’s not. Nor did I buy for a second that his Frankie was once a rock god. He looks more like an accountant.

      It’s stunning to think that it’s been 31 years since Burns burst on the scene by winning Best Picture at the Independent Spirit Awards for his writing-directing debut, “The Brothers McMullen.” And he’s been trying in vain to match its success ever since. So, classifying “Finnegan’s Foursome” as one of his better entries, a “Brothers McMulligan,” if you will, isn’t saying much. But unlike the insipid “Millers in Marriage,” this one lands in the cup. It won’t make your putter stand up, but for a filmmaker on the back nine, you’re gratified just seeing him avoid the rough.

Movie review

Finnegan’s Foursome

Rated: R for language

Cast: Ed Burns, Brian D’Arcy James, Erica Hernandez and Brian Muller

Director: Ed Burns

Writer: Ed Burns

Runtime: 120 minutes

Where: Currently streaming on all platforms

Grade: B-