The Matchmaker (1997 film)

The Matchmaker
Company type	Film
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	1997
Products	Romantic comedy film

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article The Matchmaker (1997 film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 10 August 2025

The Matchmaker is a 1997 American romantic comedy film featuring Janeane Garofalo in the lead role.

Plot

Marcy Tizard (Janeane Garofalo), who works as an assistant to Senator John McGlory (Jay O. Sanders) from Boston, is dispatched to Ireland with the task of finding McGlory's family members to help secure the Irish-American vote amid a closely contested re-election bid.

She arrives in the fictional village of Ballinagra (), renowned for its matchmaking festival, where she attracts the attention of two competing matchmakers, Dermot (Milo O'Shea) and Millie (Rosaleen Linehan), as well as a local bartender named Sean (David O'Hara). While tracing her genealogical leads, Marcy initially rebuffs Sean's romantic interest but eventually begins a relationship with him. This romance ends when she discovers Sean’s estranged wife Moira (Saffron Burrows) living at his residence.

Senator McGlory and his chief of staff Nick (Denis Leary) come to Ballinagra; despite Marcy’s thorough search, no relatives are located. Shortly before the election, McGlory brings Moira back to Boston, presenting her as his fiancée, and he narrowly wins re-election. At the celebratory event, McGlory’s father reveals that their family heritage is actually Hungarian rather than Irish—the surname was altered at Ellis Island to assimilate into Boston’s Irish community.

Sean follows Marcy to Boston, leading to their eventual reunion.

Box office

The movie debuted in 705 theaters across the U.S. and Canada, earning $1,378,930 during its opening weekend and accumulating a total of $3,392,080 domestically. Its global box office revenue reached $6 million.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 48% approval rating based on 33 critiques, with an average score of 5.7 out of 10.

Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of 4, commending Janeane Garofalo as "one of the most engaging actresses around" for her mix of "cynical intelligence and warmth." He appreciated the charm of the Irish setting but felt that scenes set in Boston were somewhat distracting.

The Irish Independent described the film as a "thin comedy" typical of Hollywood-Ireland productions but recognized Garofalo’s compelling lead performance.

In an interview from 2003, Garofalo listed The Matchmaker among her preferred films.

Cultural references

Marcy’s encounters with vivid rural Irish personalities evoke similarities to works such as The Irish R.M..

Filming took place on location in Roundstone, County Galway, capturing village life, surrounding farms, and a trip to the Aran Islands near Dún Aengus.

The narrative includes a satirical nod to Senator John Kerry’s family history, emphasizing his grandfather’s Eastern European roots and subsequent integration into Boston’s Irish Catholic population.

Music

Traditional Irish music plays a significant role both as ambient sound and through live performances, including Vincent Walsh’s sean-nós version of "Raglan Road". The soundtrack features "Haunted" by Shane MacGowan and Sinéad O'Connor, "Irish Heartbeat" by Van Morrison and The Chieftains during the closing credits, along with World Party's 1997 song "She's the One".

External links