Mattress Men – Film Review by Emily Elphinstone

Directed by: Colm Quinn
Starring: Mattress Mick, Paul Kelly

In cinemas October 7th

Anyone who has seen one of Mattress Mick’s extraordinary youtube videos may imagine that a film about the man himself would be full of brash high-jinks and naff jokes. But the documentary goes far beyond an attempt to show the man behind the mattresses. In fact the real ‘Mattress Mick’: Michael Flynn, isn’t really the main subject at all.

Spending three years making the film, director Colm Quinn finds the real soul of the story in staff member Paul Kelly, the man who dreamt up the whacky image for the brand, when the store was in trouble in the depths of recession. Working only one day per week in Mattress Micks, it is Paul’s simple ambition to get a permanent contract with the company, in order to come off social welfare and support his young family. Instead of a feature length advert for Mattress Micks, and ‘the man who goes to bed with half of North County Dublin every night’, Mattress Men is really a look at the effect that the recession has on people’s every day lives; with Quinn’s frank insight showing the effects of the economy on every corner of life.

With a background of boarded-up shops and water protests, Mattress Men gets a unique insight into one man’s struggle with debt, disappointed ambition, and efforts to keep his family together. Inside the store, Kelly’s determination to prove himself and gain a stronger position in the company might stand at odds with Flynn’s wish to grow the brand, causing tension between the men which comes to the fore as they make their biggest video yet complete with promoter, DeLorean, and hip hop crew. This conflict is contrasted with ray of sunshine Brian Traynor, the man who ‘leaps out of bed every morning’ and spends his days dressed as a mattress on the streets of Dublin; who shares his life-affirming philosophies with the camera.

There are moments in the edit which may make the audience wonder the extent to which Mattress Mick planned how his carefully crafted persona would be perceived in this in depth film; as there is a sense he reveals only what he wants us to see, however willing he may be to make fun of his public image. However, with insights into the many personalities that make up the store, and the all too real struggles that are faced every day, Mattress Men is far more multi-faceted than the cheap videos that inspired it.