History Trivia / TheCommitments

* CreatorBacklash: A mild example, but Roddy Doyle dislikes the scene of Steven going to confession and mixing up Marvin Gaye and Percy Sledge, added by Clement and La Frenais, because it was unrealistic for someone Steven’s age to go to confession, and it was exactly the kind of stereotypical [[{{Oirish}} uber-Catholic Oirish]] trope the book was [[DefiedTrope written to defy]]. He concedes [[ActuallyPrettyFunny the actual joke is pretty funny though.]] He disliked Joey’s mother’s holy statues for the same reason.

* CreatorBacklash: A mild example, but Roddy Doyle dislikes the scene of Steven going to confession and mixing up Marvin Gaye and Percy Sledge, added by Clement and La Frenais, because it was unrealistic for someone Steven’s age to go to confession, and was exactly the kind of stereotypical uber-Catholic [[OireLand Oirish]] trope the book avoided. He concedes [[ActuallyPrettyFunny the actual joke is pretty funny though.]] He disliked Joey’s mother’s holy statues for the same reason.

* CastTheRunnerUp: Robert Arkins (Jimmy Rabbitte) has auditioned to play Deco before he was cast as Jimmy. He gets to demonstrate his singing in the movie's opening song, a cover of Roy Head and the Traits' "Treat Her Right," and in a cover of Clarence Carter's "Slip Away" in the soundtrack album.
* TheCastShowOff: The actors playing the Commitments were mostly chosen for their musical talents.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The film-makers considered getting Rory Gallagher or Music/VanMorrison to play Joey Fagan; Morrison was interested until director Alan Parker rejected his condition for taking the role, specifically that he would get some of his own songs in the soundtrack.

* UsefulNotes/BFITop100BritishFilms: #38. Though it's a bit of a stretch, as although the director and producers were English, the source material, cast and location are all Irish.

* CreatorBacklash: A mild example, but Roddy Doyle dislikes the scene of Steven going to confession and mixing up Marvin Gaye and Percy Sledge, added by Clement and La Frenais, because it was unrealistic for someone Steven’s age, and exactly the kind of stereotypical [[OireLand Oirish]] trope the book avoided. He concedes [[ActuallyPrettyFunny the actual joke is pretty funny though.]] He disliked Joey’s mother’s holy statues for the same reason.

* CreatorBacklash: A mild example, but Roddy Doyle dislikes the scene of Steven going to confession and mixing up Marvin Gaye and Percy Sledge, added by Clement and La Frenais, because it was unrealistic for someone Steven’s age, and exactly the kind of stereotypical {{Oirish}} trope the book avoided. He concedes [[ActuallyPrettyFunny the actual joke is pretty funny though.]] He disliked Joey’s mother’s holy statues for the same reason.

* RetroactiveRecognition:
** Music/TheCorrs all have parts in the film. Andrea plays Jimmy's younger sister (ironically named Sharon, like her own older sister in real life), while Jim, Caroline, and Sharon have cameo roles as musicians.
** A young [[Film/{{Once}} Glen Hansard]] plays Outspan.
** [[Series/TheTudors Catharine of Aragon]] sings a smokin' cover of ''Bye Bye Baby''.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The film-makers considered getting Rory Gallagher or Music/VanMorrison to play Joey Fagan; Morrison was interested until director Alan Parker rejected his condition for taking the role, specifically that he would get some of his own songs in the soundtrack.

* UsefulNotes/BFITop100BritishFilms: #38

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The film-makers considered getting Rory Gallagher or Music/VanMorrison to play Joey Fagan.

* TheCastShowOff: The actors playing the Commitments were mostly chosen for their musical talents, Robert Arkins (Jimmy Rabbitte) included. Having initially auditioned to play Deco before he was cast as Jimmy, he gets to demonstrate his singing in the movie's opening song, a cover of Roy Head and the Traits' "Treat Her Right," and in a cover of Clarence Carter's "Slip Away" in the soundtrack album.

* TheCastShowOff: The actors playing the Commitments were mostly chosen for their musical talents, Robert Arkins (Jimmy Rabbitte) included. He gets to demonstrate his singing in the movie's opening song, a cover of Roy Head and the Traits' "Treat Her Right," and in a cover of Clarence Carter's "Slip Away" in the soundtrack album.
* DawsonCasting: Inverted in the case of Andrew Strong, who played Deco. He was sixteen when ''The Commitments'' was filmed but was selected for the role because his singing voice sounded older. One of his anecdotes in the DVD "Making of" featurette involved a listener estimating his age as twenty-one based on his voice alone.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Music/TheCorrs all have parts in the film. Andrea plays Jimmy's younger sister (ironically named Sharon, like her own older sister in real life), while Jim, Caroline, and Sharon have cameo roles as musicians.

* TheCastShowoff: The actors playing the Commitments were mostly chosen for their musical talents, Robert Arkin (Jimmy Rabitte) included (he gets to demonstrate his singing in a bonus song included on the DVD and the soundtrack album).

* ThePeteBest: Ray, the hammy lead singer of Outspan and Derek's earlier band, And And And. Jimmy makes it clear that he doesn't like Ray, and when Outspan and Derek tell Ray he's out, he takes it surprisingly well, saying he was planning to go solo anyway.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Music/TheCorrs all have parts in the film. Andrea plays Jimmy's younger sister, while Jim, Caroline, and Sharon have cameo roles as musicians.

* HeyItsThatGuy
** Jimmy's father is [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Miles]] [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine O'Brien]].
** The guy with the crazy hair is [[{{Once}} Glen Hansard]]!
** [[TheTudors Catharine of Aragon]] is a soul singer!

* {{Defictionalization}}: To this day, the band still tours the pub circuit in Ireland.

** [[TheTudors Catharine of Aragon]] is a soul singer!