O'Rowe's script is a clever cross-section of Irish society--the characters are sharply defined, and they all have distinct levels of desperation as they try to pick their way through the minefield of modern society. The title refers to the fact that every character seems stalled in life, as if they're waiting for the next act to begin, whatever it might be. This is a brilliant idea, and it's well-explored on several levels by the cast as well as the writer and director. Murphy delivers on the promise of 28 Days Later with a winning central performance here; he's the emotional lynchpin that holds the story strands together. Macdonald and Henderson are very funny as young women who have important, life-altering decisions to make. Meaney does his Irish-thug routine perfectly. And Farrell is wonderfully jumpy, charming and mad as a hatter (basically he's expanding on his Veronica Guerin cameo); his opening scene is like a punch in the face! The film is most successful when it focuses on the romantic plotlines, and less so when the crime caper takes over at the end. The singles dance sequence is both hysterical and telling; the face-off between Meaney and Farrell is at least unpredictable, and handled with a teasing cinematic wit. This is an extremely promising film debut from theatre director Crowley, and one of the most assured Irish films in memory.