The Luck of the Irish (2001 film)

2001 American made-for-TV movie

The Luck of the Irish

Promotional poster

Teleplay by| Andrew Price
Mark Edward Edens
Story by| Andrew Price
Directed by| Paul Hoen
Starring| Ryan Merriman
Alexis Lopez
Timothy Omundson
Henry Gibson
Music by| Christopher Brady
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
Production
Producer| Don Schain
Cinematography| Robert Steadman
Editor| Jim Oliver
Running time| 86 minutes [1]
Production company| Just Singer Entertainment
Original release
Network| Disney Channel
Release| March 9, 2001 (2001-03-09)

The Luck of the Irish is a 2001 American sports comedy-drama film released as a Disney Channel Original Movie.[2][3] The film, starring Ryan Merriman, Alexis Lopez, Timothy Omundson, and Henry Gibson,[4] contains elements of fantasy and sports film combined with Irish culture.[5] Conceived as a Saint Patrick's Day film, it was first broadcast on Disney Channel on March 9, 2001.

## Plot

[edit]

With his lucky gold coin on his side, 15-year-old Kyle Johnson gets everything in life, and is also the best basketball player on his team. Heritage Day is approaching and every time Kyle asks where his family came from, his parents Kate and Bob change the subject. He finds out that his dad changed his last name, but doesn't know why.

One day, Kyle and his best friend Russell Halloway go to an Irish festival. There he sees coins just like his and wonders if he's Irish. When Kyle can't stop step dancing during Seamus McTieran and the Saint of the Step's show, he gets knocked down.

The next morning, Kyle wakes up and notices something is different about him. At breakfast, his mother is acting differently, and she confesses to him that they are Irish. On his way to school, his day of bad luck starts to begin like losing his homework. The next day, Kyle notices more changes as he's shorter, and his hair is turning red. In science class, a magnet attaches to his coin and he realizes that his lucky gold coin was stolen.

He rushes home to tell his parents and walks in to see that his mother has shrunk to one foot tall. She reveals to him that she is really a leprechaun and that he is one too. He tells them who he thinks stole it, and his mom says that it was his grandfather Reilly O'Reilly founder of the Emerald Isle potato chip company. Kate and her father had a falling out over her having a "mixed marriage".

They all go to the factory to ask for the coin back. After being kicked out by security, Kyle sneaks in with the Young Achievers group from school. A girl from school named Bonnie Lopez asks why he is there and he tells her. They get chased by security and end up getting caught by his grandfather. Reilly tells him that he didn't steal it and that it is their family's lucky coin. The youngest must have possession of it so all the leprechauns in the O'Reilly clan can pass as humans. Bonnie tells Kyle that his ears have changed, and are now pointy. Reilly starts to grow a beard.

They figure out that Seamus must have stolen the coin at the fair, so they go chase him down. Kyle's grandfather tells him that Seamus is an evil leprechaun. On their way, they come across Russell, who joins them. After Seamus and his gang get away, they track down their camper at the end of a rainbow.

While they are distracted eating dinner, Kyle and Reilly sneak into the camper and find the coin. Sensing what's going on, Seamus captures Reilly in a tornado with his true form's face on it. As Kyle starts to run out of the camper, Seamus appears in his human form having grabbed Reilly by the beard as his men have grabbed Russell. Seamus will only let him go if Kyle gives him the coin. Kyle wagers a bet to keep both. He bets on sports. The three of them, plus Russell and Seamus' men, magically end up in Ireland. Kyle and Russell have to compete against them in Gaelic sports. They end up tying, but Seamus refuses to set Reilly free. Kyle risks his freedom and bets on Seamus in basketball without using his lucky coin.

They are then transported to the junior high state championship game. Only Kyle, his family, and his friends are aware that they are playing against Seamus and his friends. Russell scores the game winning shot, Reilly is set free, and Seamus has to spend eternity at the land of Kyle's father (within the shores of Lake Erie). Kyle realizes that he doesn't need luck.

The movie ends at the school talent show with Kyle embracing his heritage by Irish dancing and singing "This Land is Your Land" with Bonnie as everyone joins in.

## Cast

[edit]

* Ryan Merriman as Kyle Johnson
* Henry Gibson as Reilly O'Reilly
* Alexis Lopez as Bonnie Lopez
* Paul Kiernan as Bob Johnson / Robert Smith
* Marita Geraghty as Kate O'Reilly Johnson / Kate Smith
* Glenndon Chatman as Russell Halloway
* Timothy Omundson as Seamus McTiernan
* Thurl Bailey as Mr. Halloway
* Duane Stephens as Patrick
* Charles Halford as McDermot
* Marshall Hilliard as Eddie McGuire
* Stan Ellsworth as Basketball Coach
* David Wee as Extra
* Chris Lovett as Extra
* Brittany Koppy (BK) as Extra
* Kevin Clifford as Garbage Man
* Ben Dino as Basketball Player #31

## Production

[edit]

Parts of the movie were filmed at Lagoon in Farmington, Utah.[6]

## Reception

[edit]

The Luck of the Irish has been called the "strangest Disney Channel original movie ever".[7] It was a relative television success[8] The film received a very mixed retrospective review at the sports website SB Nation.[9]

## Release

[edit]

It was first broadcast on Disney Channel on March 9, 2001,[10] a week before Saint Patrick's Day.[11][12]

## Remake

[edit]

In 2012, The Luck of the Irish was remade into an Indian Hindi-language television film, Luck Luck Ki Baat, directed by Iqbal Khan, featuring Satyajeet Dubey and Mahesh Thakur in the lead roles.[13]

## See also

[edit]

* List of basketball films

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Watch the Luck of the Irish | Disney+".
2. ^ Bronner, Simon J. (March 4, 2015). Encyclopedia of American Folklife. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-47194-3.
3. ^ Wright, Spencer (June 30, 2023). Enchanted Disney: Stories of Walt, Hollywood, and Live-Action Film. BearManor Media.
4. ^ "The Luck of the Irish Cast: Where Are They Now This St. Patrick's Day?". E! Online. March 17, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
5. ^ Milo, Mr (March 17, 2023). "Luck Of The Irish. Disney's Forgotten St. Patrick's Day Movie". Pirates & Princesses. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
6. ^ "Luck of the Irish (television)". D23. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
7. ^ Gorman, Cameron (March 17, 2023). "Happy St. Patrick's Day to the Strangest Disney Channel Original Movie Ever". Collider. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
8. ^ McNamara, Donald (October 2, 2009). Which Direction Ireland? Proceedings of the 2006 ACIS Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4438-1490-4.
9. ^ Jr, Harry Lyles (January 16, 2020). "The Disney Channel Original movie 'The Luck of the Irish', reviewed". SBNation.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
10. ^ "The Luck of the Irish – Retro Review". Retrieved December 11, 2023.
11. ^ "Review: Disney Channel's Original Movie "The Luck of the Irish"". The Herald. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
12. ^ "18 Things I Noticed Rewatching 'The Luck Of The Irish'". Bustle. October 2, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
13. ^ "Luck Luck Ki Baat" (PDF). Disney India. Retrieved April 13, 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* The Luck of the Irish at Rotten Tomatoes
* The Luck of the Irish at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Disney Channel Original Movies

1990s|

* Under Wraps (1997)
* You Lucky Dog (1998)
* Brink! (1998)
* Halloweentown (1998)
* Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)
* Can of Worms (1999)
* The Thirteenth Year (1999)
* Smart House (1999)
* Johnny Tsunami (1999)
* Genius (1999)
* Don't Look Under the Bed (1999)
* Horse Sense (1999)

2000s|

* Up, Up and Away (2000)
* The Color of Friendship (2000)
* Alley Cats Strike (2000)
* Rip Girls (2000)
* Miracle in Lane 2 (2000)
* Stepsister from Planet Weird (2000)
* Ready to Run (2000)
* Quints (2000)
* The Other Me (2000)
* Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire (2000)
* Phantom of the Megaplex (2000)
* The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000)
* Zenon: The Zequel (2001)
* Motocrossed (2001)
* The Luck of the Irish (2001)
* Hounded (2001)
* Jett Jackson: The Movie (2001)
* The Jennie Project (2001)
* Jumping Ship (2001)
* The Poof Point (2001)
* Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001)
* 'Twas the Night (2001)
* Double Teamed (2002)
* Cadet Kelly (2002)
* Tru Confessions (2002)
* Get a Clue (2002)
* Gotta Kick It Up! (2002)
* A Ring of Endless Light (2002)
* The Scream Team (2002)
* You Wish! (2003)
* Right on Track (2003)
* The Even Stevens Movie (2003)
* Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off (2003)
* The Cheetah Girls (2003)
* Full-Court Miracle (2003)
* Pixel Perfect (2004)
* Going to the Mat (2004)
* Zenon: Z3 (2004)
* Stuck in the Suburbs (2004)
* Tiger Cruise (2004)
* Halloweentown High (2004)
* Now You See It... (2005)
* Buffalo Dreams (2005)
* Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama (2005)
* Go Figure (2005)
* Life Is Ruff (2005)
* The Proud Family Movie (2005)
* Twitches (2005)
* High School Musical (2006)
* Cow Belles (2006)
* Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (2006)
* Read It and Weep (2006)
* The Cheetah Girls 2 (2006)
* Return to Halloweentown (2006)
* Jump In! (2007)
* Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board (2007)
* High School Musical 2 (2007)
* Twitches Too (2007)
* Minutemen (2008)
* Camp Rock (2008)
* The Cheetah Girls: One World (2008)
* Dadnapped (2009)
* Hatching Pete (2009)
* Princess Protection Program (2009)
* Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009)

2010s|

* Starstruck (2010)
* Den Brother (2010)
* Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010)
* Avalon High (2010)
* The Suite Life Movie (2011)
* Lemonade Mouth (2011)
* Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure (2011)
* Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension (2011)
* Geek Charming (2011)
* Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas! (2011)
* Frenemies (2012)
* Radio Rebel (2012)
* Let It Shine (2012)
* Girl vs. Monster (2012)
* Teen Beach Movie (2013)
* Cloud 9 (2014)
* Zapped (2014)
* How to Build a Better Boy (2014)
* Bad Hair Day (2015)
* Teen Beach 2 (2015)
* Descendants (2015)
* Invisible Sister (2015)
* Adventures in Babysitting (2016)
* The Swap (2016)
* Tangled: Before Ever After (2017)
* Descendants 2 (2017)
* Zombies (2018)
* Freaky Friday (2018)
* Kim Possible (2019)
* Descendants 3 (2019)

2020s|

* Zombies 2 (2020)
* Upside-Down Magic (2020)
* Spin (2021)
* Under Wraps (2021)
* Christmas...Again?! (2021)
* Zombies 3 (2022)
* Under Wraps 2 (2022)
* Prom Pact (2023)
* The Slumber Party (2023)
* The Naughty Nine (2023)
* Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation (2024)
* Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024)
* Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires (2025)

Upcoming|

* Descendants: Wicked Wonderland (2026)

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Paul Hoen

* The Luck of the Irish (2001)
* Tru Confessions (2002)
* You Wish! (2003)
* Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off (2003)
* Searching for David's Heart (2004)
* Read It and Weep (2006)
* Jump In! (2007)
* The Cheetah Girls: One World (2008)
* Dadnapped (2009)
* Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010)
* Let It Shine (2012)
* The Mistle-Tones (2012)
* Cloud 9 (2014)
* How to Build a Better Boy (2014)
* Invisible Sister (2015)
* Zombies (2018)
* Zombies 2 (2020)
* Zombies 3 (2022)
* Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires (2025)

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