The Spin Review – A Feel Good Comedy, Beautiful Scenery, Entertaining

The Spin, from Tull Stories, presents a feel good buddy road trip, as two music lovers facing eviction from their record shop find rare vintage records for sale on the cheap on the other side of the country.  

We meet our throwbacks to the 1960s, Dermot, played by Brenock O'Connor, and Elvis played by Owen Colgan, two music lovers who run a struggling record shop in Omagh, Northern Ireland. It is hard to not immediately bond with them over their passion for music, and a lost generation, who can't understand why the album age of music was so very important.


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Their struggling record shop, a homage to UK and Irish rock and roll, jazz and other unknowns of the British scene, and as if by compatriots, mostly unsuccessful cover bands.

Facing an unpaid rent bill and their vicious landlord Sadie, played by Tara Lynne O'Neill, who's eager to get them out of her building, the pair stumble across a deal too good to be true: rare, vintage records of blues legend Robert Johnson for sale in Cork for a steal of a deal. If they can make it to the other end of Ireland in time, then maybe they could get the rare vinyl, and save the shop.

Dermot, who understands the vintage vinyl market, and his own financial situation, convinces Elvis, they can save the shop, and come out ahead. With just two days to get there the pair head off in a rusty Vauxhall as old as the hills.


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This ushers in act two. Ireland features prominently as third lead, as they navigate their beautiful journey, we travel the backroads and byways, of this lush green countryside, and understand why it is given the name, the Emerald Isle. The trip is filled with inspiring scenery, and as the two are lifelong mates, there is a rhythm to their conversation. They understand each other's quarks and have been there for the best and the worst. The road trip brings out both, as they reflect, venture into the what if, and begin to experience regrets.

Midway through the trip, besides being lost, and in need of gas, they run into some locals, each a bit unique in their own right, an American traveler, Deb, played by Amy McElhatton, a nun, played by Claire Malone, and a man with stuffed fox, played by Joe Savino. With the back seat full, they nearly get to their destination when the car runs out of gas.

Stuck, the two have resigned their fate, they will lose the record shop, as they can't make it before the deadline. By chance they see a poster for a concert, whose band happens to be an old mate of Dermot. Next thing we know, Dermot is singing with the band, and suddenly we understand his passion isn't only for the record shop, but for his career as an artist.


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As it is Ireland, there is a lot of drinking, which turns into all out brawl, which lands the two in jail. They are released, and the night gave them both cause to reflect, and Dermot wants to record an album and was invited to travel. Elvis gets back to the card, and their good deed of helping the nun was returned and she left, a Rosary, and an envelope of cash.

Suddenly, they were back in business, with just enough time to make it to Cork, and secure those vintage albums.

This ushers in the final act in this off-the-wall, feel-good road trip film.

The Spin is a delightful, charming, and amusing film about two late bloomers who come into their own. It is an entertaining, funny, and enjoyable road trip. Ireland, which we find out can be driven in a day, is gorgeous with interior lush, grassy, lands and breathtaking coast lines.

This sweet and uplifting Irish road movie from filmmaker Michael Head packs in the laughs. The Spin opens in UK & Irish cinemas February 27, 2026. See it for a fun-filled road trip adventure.


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Country: UK.

Language: English.

Runtime: 93 minutes.

Release date: Friday, February 27, 2026.

Director: Michael Head.

Producer: Jake Jacovides.

Executive Producer: Ismail Ismail, Steven Istock.

Writer: Colin Broderick, Mark McCausland.

Cast: Tara Lynne O'Neill, Brenock O'Connor, Owen Colgan, Maura Higgins, Kimberly Wyatt, Leah O'Rourke, Barry Devlin, Amy McElhatton, Ian Toner.

 

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," and "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.

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