''A Bump Along the Way'' is a 2019 Northern Irish

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by Shelly Love.

Synopsis

A heavy-drinking

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

single mother becomes pregnant at the age of 44 from a

one-night stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...

, much to the mortification of her teenage daughter.

Cast

Bronagh Gallagher Bronagh Gallagher (born 26 April 1972) is an Irish singer and actress from Northern Ireland. Gallagher had her first acting role in the 1989 television movie '' Dear Sarah''. In 2020, she was listed at number 33 on ''The Irish Times'' list of I ...

as Pamela *

Lola Petticrew Lola Petticrew (born 26 December 1995) is an Irish actor. They starred in the films '' A Bump Along the Way'' (2019) and ''Dating Amber'' (2020). On television, they are known for their roles in ''Bloodlands'' (2021–) and ''Three Families'' (20 ...

as Allegra * Mary Moulds as Sinead * Dan Gordon as Michael *

Zara Devlin Zara Devlin is an Irish actress. For her performance as Ann Lovett in the film ''Ann'' (2022), she was nominated for the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Film. Early life Devlin was born to father Michael ...

as Rhiannon Coyle *

Gerard Jordan Gerard Jordan is a Northern Irish actor from Belfast. Career He is best known for his recurring roles in the Northern Irish TV series ''Pulling Moves'' (2004) and in BBC's '' The Fall'' (2013–2014), and for his portrayal of Biter in the HBO s ...

as Kieran

Production

''A Bump Along the Way'' was developed through

Northern Ireland Screen Northern Ireland Screen is the national screen agency for Northern Ireland. The agency's purpose is to promote the development of a sustainable film, animation and television production industry.About Us > Overview Northern Ireland Screen website, ...

's New Talent Focus scheme and Lottery funding via the

Arts Council of Northern Ireland The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (Irish: ''Comhairle Ealaíon Thuaisceart Éireann'', Ulster-Scots: ''Airts Cooncil o Norlin Airlan'') is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1964, as a successor to ...

Release and reception

''A Bump Along the Way'' premiered at the 2019

Belfast Film Festival The Belfast Film Festival is Northern Ireland's largest film festival, attracting over 25,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1995, the festival has grown to include the Docs Ireland international documentary festival, as well as an Audi ...

, then went on general release in October 2019. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' gave it three stars out of five, saying "The movie has a few awkward narrative transitions and a few ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

''-ish running-out-of-the-room-crying scene endings, but the overall mood is persuasive and heartfelt and Bronagh Gallagher is a great lead." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said that it was "sometimes genuinely perceptive and sometimes pat, with superb leads as its consistent anchor."

Awards

''A Bump Along the Way'' was nominated for Best Film (2020) at the

16th Irish Film & Television Awards The 16th Irish Film & Television Academy Awards took place on 18 October 2020. Because no ceremony was held in 2019, this ceremony honoured films and television drama released in both 2018 and 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no physical ceremo ...

, while

was nominated for Best Actress (Film). Shelly Love, Tess McGowan and Louise Gallagher were nominated for the Discovery Award at the

British Independent Film Awards 2019 The British Independent Film Awards 2019 were held on 1 December 2019 to recognise the best in British independent cinema and filmmaking talent from United Kingdom. The nominations were announced on 30 October 2019. ''The Personal History of David ...

References

External links

* * 2019 films 2019 comedy-drama films Films set in Northern Ireland Films from Northern Ireland 2010s pregnancy films 2010s English-language films {{2010s-comedy-film-stub