The Honeymooners DVD   Verve Pictures

A funny and poignant debut from writer-director Karl Golden, The Honeymooners strips away the gloss from the traditional romantic comedy creating a sparkling and universally appealing love story that also manages to be raw, honest and true. David Ryan (Jonathan Byrne) is left at the alter on his wedding day when his bride to be (Justine Mitchell) has a last moment change of heart. After drowning his sorrows at the airport, Ryan misses his flight and finds himself being driven to the cottage that was to have been his wedding present. His driver is Claire Kennedy (Alex Reid), a recently fired waitress with a few romance issues of her own. In the depths of rural island David and Claire's worlds collide and the pair begin a hilarious and chaotic adventure that proves that sometimes loves lies in the most unlikliest of places. Digitally shot on location in Donegal, The Honeymooners is a surprisingly intimate and youthful 'indie' alternative to the comedies of Billy Wilder and Woody Allen. Brilliantly performed and vividly realised so as to make a virtue of its micro-budget, it's a remarkably assured, auspicious and delightfully frills free first feature.