A Greyhound of a Girl Cinema Review

4 stars, an emotional roller coaster of a film.

A Greyhound of a Girl is a 2024 animated family film based on the 2011 novel of the same name written by Roddy Doyle (The Commitments, Rosie). It is adapted for the big screen by Dave Ingham (Mini Bods, The Rubbish World of Dave Spud) and Enzo D’Alò (Pinocchio, Lucky and Zorba), who also directs. It is a co-production of seven European countries and is set in Ireland.

Just in time for the summer holidays, it is showing  now in UK cinemas courtesy of Dazzler Media.

“You two eejits with the clipboards. Not up to standard you say. Well, I say you’re not up to standard for my Mary.”

Mary (Mia O’Connor – Hearts and Crafts) is a young girl who lives with her mother Scarlett (Sharon Horgan – Catastrophe, Pulling) and father Paddy (Brendan Gleeson – Edge of Tomorrow, Trespass Against Us), as well as her two brothers Dommo (Jack O’Loughlin – Life Begins Now) and Killer (Oscar Butler – Angela’s Christmas Wish). Her greatest ambition is to become a famous chef, encouraged by her grandmother Emer (Rosaleen Linehan  – About Adam, The Matchmaker), who is herself an excellent cook.

Thwarted in her attempts to gain entry to the prestigious Ballymaloe Cookery School, she resolves to practice hard. But when Emer falls ill, the family is thrown into disarray. At the same time, Mary’s best friend Ava (Amelie Metcalfe – Vita and Virginia) breaks the news that she and her family are moving to England.

When Mary meets a strange woman (Charlene McKenna – Ripper Street, Peaky Blinders) in the woods, she befriends her, however Scarlett doesn’t believe she exists, thinking she has created an imaginary friend to help her cope with what is going on. Who is this woman and what does she mean to the family?

“I’m sorry, it’s just…Granny won’t be coming back home…the doctor has done tests and Granny is very sick.”

A Greyhound of a girl is a fantastic adaptation of a beautifully written story. The animation is astounding, with glorious landscapes and scenery which make a wonderful backdrop. The colours are vibrant but it’s also very realistic, you feel as though you could live in their world. There are also two seperate sets of animations, each done by a different artist, one depicting dreams and the other nightmares, very clever.

This is a devastating but also life affirming story and a very moving and emotional watch, especially for anyone who has lost a parent, so be sure to have the tissues handy. It has a lovely and healthy message about grief and loss, and is presented in a way that younger viewers will be able to understand, with a dash of Irish folklore thrown in for good measure.

It also features a brilliant soundtrack, featuring songs that are highly suitable for the film, as well as superb voice acting. A really good film for all the family and absolutely worth a trip to the cinema.

“I need you to give your Granny a message for me. Tell her, it’ll all be grand.”

A Greyhound of a Girl is out now in UK cinemas.