The Commitments
Funny, musical and occasionally dramatic, this is the story of tumultuous rise and fall of a Dublin Soul band, The Commitments. Managed by Jimmy Rabbitte, an unemployed wheeler and dealer with a vision to create "The Worlds Hardest Working Band".
Working with a small-scale budget of $12.0M, the film achieved a modest success with $14.9M in global revenue (+24% profit margin).
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 11 wins & 12 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Commitments (1991) exemplifies strategically placed narrative design, characteristic of Alan Parker's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 58 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.4, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Jimmy Rabbitte
Deco Cuffe
Joey "The Lips" Fagan
Imelda Quirke
Natalie Murphy
Bernie McGloughlin
Derek Scully
Outspan Foster
Steven Clifford
Mickah Wallace
Main Cast & Characters
Jimmy Rabbitte
Played by Robert Arkins
An ambitious working-class Dublin youth who forms a soul band to bring authentic music to his community.
Deco Cuffe
Played by Andrew Strong
The band's talented but arrogant lead singer whose ego threatens to destroy the group.
Joey "The Lips" Fagan
Played by Johnny Murphy
A mysterious older trumpeter who claims to have played with American soul legends and becomes the band's mentor.
Imelda Quirke
Played by Angeline Ball
One of the three female backup singers, a strong-willed young woman who becomes romantically involved with band members.
Natalie Murphy
Played by Maria Doyle Kennedy
A backup singer and working-class Dublin girl with dreams beyond her current circumstances.
Bernie McGloughlin
Played by Bronagh Gallagher
The third backup singer, more reserved than her bandmates but equally passionate about the music.
Derek Scully
Played by Kenneth McCluskey
Jimmy's best friend and the band's bassist, loyal but often caught in the middle of conflicts.
Outspan Foster
Played by Glen Hansard
The band's rhythm guitarist, Derek's friend and a steady presence in the group.
Steven Clifford
Played by Michael Aherne
The band's pianist and organist, a quiet musician who provides the soul sound's foundation.
Mickah Wallace
Played by Dave Finnegan
The band's drummer, laid-back but essential to keeping the rhythm section tight.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Jimmy Rabbitte stands in his cramped Dublin bedroom surrounded by music posters, a working-class dreamer with big ambitions but no clear path forward.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Jimmy decides to form a soul band and places an ad in the newspaper. This active decision disrupts his passive dreaming and sets the story in motion.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 29 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to The band plays together for the first time at their inaugural rehearsal. Despite chaos and lack of skill, they commit to becoming "The Commitments" and pursuing Jimmy's vision of bringing soul music to Dublin., moving from reaction to action.
At 58 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat The Commitments play a triumphant concert to a packed, ecstatic crowd. They've achieved their goal of bringing soul to Dublin. False victory: success brings ego, tension, and the seeds of destruction as Deco becomes unbearably arrogant and band members start fighting over credit and attention., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 88 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, During their final performance, tensions explode. Deco insults the band publicly, a brawl erupts on stage, and The Commitments implode in front of their biggest audience. The dream dies violently and publicly., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 94 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Jimmy has a realization while listening to soul records: the music mattered, the moments of transcendence were real, even if the band couldn't sustain it. He understands that soul isn't about longevity but authenticity in the moment., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Commitments's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping The Commitments against these established plot points, we can identify how Alan Parker utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Commitments within the comedy genre.
Alan Parker's Structural Approach
Among the 9 Alan Parker films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Commitments represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Alan Parker filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Alan Parker analyses, see Fame, The Road to Wellville and The Life of David Gale.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Jimmy Rabbitte stands in his cramped Dublin bedroom surrounded by music posters, a working-class dreamer with big ambitions but no clear path forward.
Theme
Jimmy's father dismisses his music ambitions, saying "The Irish are the blacks of Europe... Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland... The northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin." This establishes the film's core theme: finding identity and dignity through soul music.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Jimmy's working-class Dublin world, his friends, his failed wedding band experience, and his growing conviction that Dublin needs a soul band. We see the limited opportunities and cultural wasteland of 1980s Dublin.
Disruption
Jimmy decides to form a soul band and places an ad in the newspaper. This active decision disrupts his passive dreaming and sets the story in motion.
Resistance
Jimmy holds auditions, assembling a motley crew of Dublin misfits: Deco the obnoxious singer, the Rabbitte brother sax trio, Imelda and Bernie as backup singers, and various musicians. He recruits Joey "The Lips" Fagan, an older trumpeter who becomes a mentor figure.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
The band plays together for the first time at their inaugural rehearsal. Despite chaos and lack of skill, they commit to becoming "The Commitments" and pursuing Jimmy's vision of bringing soul music to Dublin.
Mirror World
Joey "The Lips" Fagan emerges as the thematic mirror - the seasoned musician who actually lived soul music, claiming to have played with all the greats. His relationship with the band (and romantic pursuit of Imelda) carries the film's central question: can authenticity be learned or must it be lived?
Premise
The promise of the premise: watching a ragtag group of Dublin misfits transform into a legitimate soul band. Rehearsals improve, personalities clash, romances develop, and they start performing at local venues. The music gets better and crowds respond enthusiastically.
Midpoint
The Commitments play a triumphant concert to a packed, ecstatic crowd. They've achieved their goal of bringing soul to Dublin. False victory: success brings ego, tension, and the seeds of destruction as Deco becomes unbearably arrogant and band members start fighting over credit and attention.
Opposition
Success breeds conflict. Deco's ego spirals out of control, romantic triangles emerge (three women claim Joey got them pregnant), musical disagreements intensify, and the band fractures into factions. Jimmy struggles to hold it together as manager while everyone fights.
Collapse
During their final performance, tensions explode. Deco insults the band publicly, a brawl erupts on stage, and The Commitments implode in front of their biggest audience. The dream dies violently and publicly.
Crisis
Aftermath of the collapse. Band members go their separate ways. Jimmy processes the failure, sitting among the wreckage of his dream. The darkness of having reached success only to watch it self-destruct.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Jimmy has a realization while listening to soul records: the music mattered, the moments of transcendence were real, even if the band couldn't sustain it. He understands that soul isn't about longevity but authenticity in the moment.
Synthesis
Jimmy reconnects with former bandmates individually. Each has moved on to other projects, other bands, other dreams. The relationships endure even though The Commitments don't. Jimmy hears about a new opportunity and begins planning his next project.
Transformation
Jimmy walks through Dublin with new purpose, already scheming his next band. Unlike the opening where he was a passive dreamer, he's now a seasoned manager who understands that the journey and the music matter more than lasting success. The dream lives on in a new form.