The Commitments 2: Getting the Band Back Together

ROUGH IDEA

In the Northside of Dublin there are tough economic times again, with inflation and the cost of living stretching people's patience. Jimmy Rabbitte has had a long and turbulent career as a would be music manager without much success. But he's dug up some old friends and it is time to get the band back together. He finds Bernie McGloughlin, Natalie Murph7y and Imelda Quirke, and persuades them to give the Commitments another run. They muck him and tell him not to be a fricking moron. But he persuades them and with Steven Clifford on Piano they start some rudimentary modern numbers. Dean Fay wanders in with his Saxophone, having got an email, and Outspan Foster on Guitar and Derek Scully on Bass show up together, being in a band together, but willing to give the old band another shot. While they are jamming one of the girls says 'But what Deco'. Jimmy's eyes roll over. 'Not him,' says Dean Fay. 'His reputation is as bad as the IRAs,' says Steven Clifford. 'We need him,' says the girls. 'He gave us our grunt.' Jimmy gets an address and finds Deco in his apartment on the floor drunk and dissheveled. Jimmy puts black coffee into him and says 'He's getting the band back together.' Deco scoffs at the idea. He is 'Persuaded' to attend their next rehearsal, and when he walks in Imelda says 'The Devil has returned to Dublin.' Natalie says 'And he hasn't washed in ages. Pew he stinks.' Deco grins at them.

There are children involved with this sequel, the Kerry Girls actresses would be ideal. One of them falls in love with Jimmy then Dean and even fancies Deco. When the song 'Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps' is playing, at the end of the song when it goes 'Perhaps' she looks at Jimmy, on the second perhaps she looks at Dean and on the final perhaps she looks at Deco and sighs. The 3 kerry girls are Siobahn, Brione & Shonagh, each a daughter of the 3 singers. They are not in the band, but hand around as groupies for the band, and there are scenes were they are talking to people on the streets about the gigs for the band to strum up an audience.

Jimmy Rabbitte is talking with his father.

'I want to move on. Soul was an era, and that era died a long time ago. But life goes on, and so does soul.'

'Rock and roll – is dead,' replies his father. 'Elvis, God rest his soul, died in 1977, and so did Rock and Roll. You can't beat the classics.'

'I don't know,' replies Jimmy. 'Sure, we do the classics. But I need to live and breathe something new in this system. I've made a lot of mistakes. Time to move on with a new idea.'

'Good luck. I think you'll need it,' replies his father.

Jimmy is talking with kids on the street.

'Do you remember the cure?'

'Who are the cure?' one kid asks him.

'You wouldn't really know, would you? What about Dire Straits?'

'I think grandpa listens to that band,' replies a kid.

'Cheeky bastard. Go on, get out of here,' replies Jimmy. 'Grandpa,' he says, shaking his head.

Jimmy is in the local.

'Face it. Your fighting a losing battle Jimmy Rabbite,' says a female bartender. 'But that's Jimmy Rabbites way, isn't it? Success has never really knocked at his door.'

'Its why I'm moving on. Getting with the times, like Brian McFadden.'

'His music career died out a decade ago also,' replies the bartender.

'At least he had one,' Jimmy says under his breath to himself. 'No, Stacey (Bartenders name). I'm going to give these ratbag kids a taste of new soul. Songs from here and there which show soul isn't dead. It's alive and well.'

'Keep on dreaming Jimmy Rabbitte,' says Stacey.

'I suppose I'll have to,' replies Jimmy.

Jimmy is lying on his bed, looking at the ceiling. 'I just need to soulify some of the new classics. No reason that can't be done, right?'

'Your living in a dream world,' says his father from the doorway.

'We'll see,' replies Jimmy.

The soundtrack includes

Getting the Band Back Together – Cold Chisel (With some modified lyrics to fit the movie)

Gold on the Ceiling – Black Keys

Funky Tonight – John Butler Trio

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day – Morcheeba

I never liked you – Rogue Traders

Seven Nation Army – White Stripes (Soulified Version)

That's not my name – The Ting Tings (Soulified Version)

Hit That (Marching Band Version with Singing) – The Offspring

The idea is to update the soundtrack to more modern music usually.

A similar plot is followed to the first movie, and the legend they want is Harry Connick Junior, who actually does show up halfway through the final gig, at the same venue.