JAMIE DORNAN and Emily Blunt have come in for widespread mockery over their attempts at Irish accents in the trailer for new romantic comedy Wild Mountain Thyme.
Hollywood has a pretty checkered history when it comes to depicting Ireland and the Irish with everyone from Tom Cruise to the late, great, Sir Sean Connery guilty of getting it wrong.
However, the Irish accents that feature in Wild Mountain Thyme, which also stars Christopher Walken and Jon Hamm, might rank among the very worst if the reaction on social media is anything to go by.
Described as a “moving and wildly romantic tale”, the film sees English actress Blunt star as Rosemary Muldoon, a headstrong Irish farmer who wishes to marry her neighbour, Dornan’s Anthony Reilly.
Matters are complicated, however, when Anthony’s father Tony (Walken) decides to leave his farm to American cousin Adam (Hamm), who also becomes smitten with Rosemary.
Boasting a star-studded cast and picturesque rural Irish setting, Wild Mountain Thyme has also been written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, the Oscar-winning scribe behind Moonstruck, and on paper at least sounds like a surefire hit.
But, if the reaction to the first trailer for the film is anything to go by, something has gone seriously wrong – especially when it comes to the accents.
Blunt took the brunt of the criticism from fans.
One tweeted: “Emily Blunt with the full leprechaun accent is hard to listen to.”
A second lamented: “I love Emily Blunt with all my heart but lord above that accent is atrocious.”
I love Emily Blunt with all my heart but lord above that accent is atrocious. https://t.co/CUqlMzMOqR
— Frances Watkins (@FrancesW96) November 10, 2020
Another had an interesting theory: “I feel like my beloved Emily Blunt prepared for this by watching Maura [Higgins] on Love Island.”
Someone else summed up the situation perfectly: "I love Emily Blunt and all but pls can non-irish people stop making Irish movies like ye can't do the accent and don't get the humour or the culture right at all this is just pure pandering to american fetishisation of Ireland."
I physically could not sit through this movie like I love Emily Blunt and all but pls can non-irish people stop making Irish movies like ye can't do the accent and don't get the humour or the culture right at all this is just pure pandering to american fetishisation of Ireland https://t.co/BSFfyX88ap
— lucinda (@LucindiaJayne) November 10, 2020
Walken received similarly scathing reviews for his attempt at an Irish accent.
"Christopher Walken’s Irish accent is a war crime," one critic said.
"Christopher Walken’s Irish accent sums up 2020," another added.
Christopher Walken - seen here as Tony Murphy Kelly O'Connor Begorrah Shillelagh Reilly in the new romantic comedy Wild Mountain Thyme pic.twitter.com/Cq4U7mncv4
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐨 (@agnes_guano) November 11, 2020
Christopher Walken’s accent coach for Wild Miuntain Thyme pic.twitter.com/3Ln18D9Vn4
— Steen Raskopoulos (@steenrasko) November 11, 2020
A third warned, quite rightly: "You're not ready to hear Christopher Walken's irish accent."
Yet if the criticism levelled at Blunt and Walken was bad, it was nothing compared to the anger that greeted Dornan's accent - especially as he hails from Northern Ireland.
"Im frankly amazed Emily Blunt is THAT bad at an Irish accent and - scundered for him - but what is Jamie Dornan’s excuse?!" one asked.
I don't know what Jamie Dornan did to his agent but he should apologise and maybe buy them flowers or something.
— Lisa Holdsworth (@WorksWithWords) November 11, 2020
"Hold on, whatever about the other two, but how can Jamie Dornan fail in doing HIS OWN ACCENT!?" another concurred.
A third pondered: "I mean surely Jamie Dornan at least had heard actual Irish accents in his lifetime?"
"Cillian Murphy blocked Jamie Dornan after this trailer came out," a fourth joked.
Some were a little more sympathetic: "You think *you're* having a bad day? Imagine being Jamie Dornan waking up this morning to a Twitter sh*tstorm about Christopher Walken having a better Irish accent than you"
Most, however, were thoroughly unimpressed.
One person wrote: “This is a crime against Irish accents and one of the people in the film is Irish.”
While another asked, again: “How the f**k is his (Dornan’s) accent worse than Walken’s?"
“I can only imagine the director screaming ‘Dornan will you do the Irish accent correctly, like Blunt.’”
For the record, I could only manage half of the Wild Mountain Thyme trailer.
I have put the rest of it back in the fridge for later, where it will stay untouched until I eventually throw it out in a month.— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) November 11, 2020
Someone else joked: “These accents constitute a hate crime.”
While one wrote: “They’re lucky this came out the week of voting Biden in, or else it could cause an international incident.”
What I like about it, is that even the dog seems American. Also, the toothless yokel laughing while peering over a stone wall is basically my spirit animal/human. As an Irish patriot, I'm always doing that. https://t.co/jDnR1MAYgZ
— PatrickFreyne (@PatrickFreyne1) November 11, 2020
Hamm was the only actor to emerge from the trailer unscathed, having wisely decided against adopting an Irish accent.
“Thank God Jon Hamm doesn’t attempt an Irish accent in this and still has some dignity," one fan said.
Away from the accents, there were serious questions being asked about the time period, with Rosemary and Co. appearing to exist in a quaint, 1930s version of Ireland yet also pictured in a post-9/11 New York.
Seriously...... this is a CRIME. https://t.co/iNBoWyNepc
— Marian Keyes (@MarianKeyes) November 10, 2020
The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu, even got in on the act, tweeting: "I needed a laugh today and this did the trick."
Irish writer Marian Keyes summed up the mood of the nation best with her tweet: "Seriously...... this is a CRIME."
