The five best St. Patty’s movies

If you have any clue who these people are, then you can guess our #2 movie. (Flickr/Up Your Ego)

What’s the best way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Other than with green beer? That’s right: Irish movies. It doesn’t have to be about the holiday to get you in the mood. And in honor of my parents, who are in Ireland today, I present to you the best Irish-themed movies for your watching pleasure. Go get your Irish on.

5. The Boondock Saints (2000). Believe it or not, this movie was shown in five (that’s FIVE) theaters and ran for only three short weeks, grossing a measly $30,000. This ultra-violent, Boston-set crime thriller about twin brothers (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus) as vigilantes was panned by critics but fast took on a cult following. And good news for fans: The sequel, “The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day,” comes out in October. Shout-out to @designer_tracyP for the recommendation on this one.

4. Leprechaun (1993). So it’s not really a “good” movie per se, or one of the “best” Irish movies, either…but we couldn’t resist adding this one to the list. And it probably deserves a lower billing, but we wanted you to read after the jump, after all. It’s a “horror” movie that spawned five equally bad sequels (including one called “Leprechaun 4: In Space”), but it’s also one of Jennifer Aniston’s first roles (she runs scared from a leprechaun the entire film), which makes it hilarious. It’s a must-see about those mischievous little Irish fairies, just to reflect on how bad it is.

3. Finian’s Rainbow (1968). A Fred Astaire musical directed by Francis Ford Coppola equals Irish classic gold– no pun intended. Finian McLonergan (Astaire) leaves Ireland with a pot of gold, hoping to bury it and make it multiply, but with a leprechaun following him, trouble ensures. It started as a Broadway production in the 1940′s, and Coppola adapted it for the silver screen in the 1960′s. Today, it remains an Irish classic.

2. The Commitments (1991). The 1987 novel was written by the Irish Roddy Doyle, but it was the film adaptation a few years later that became a critic and fan favorite alike. After all, what’s not to love about a bunch of unemployed Dubliners who start a soul band? It went on to be Golden-Globe-nominated for best comedy or musical, and Oscar-nominated for film editing, but what we most remember is the band’s rousing performance of “Mustang Sally.”

1. The Departed (2006). Hands down, one of our favorite movies ever, and not just for the Irish families and traditions featured heavily in this Boston-based film. Martin Scorsese finally won the Oscar for directing with it– and the movie also won best picture and best adapted screenplay. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Billy Costigan, an undercover cop in Frank Costello’s (Jack Nicholson) Boston Irish mafia; to say the plot is thrilling and suspenseful is an understatement. Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Vera Farmiga round out this all-star cast, making this our very favorite Irish movie of all.