The Miracle Club

➤ Rated PG-13
➤ Theaters

With its Irish setting and ensemble cast led by Academy Award winners Maggie Smith and Kathy Bates, The Miracle Club will pique the interest of devotees of BBC-style dramas. This quiet film about female friendship and forgiveness has its appeal, but without any real surprises its charms feel ephemeral.

In a working-class community outside Dublin, three women struggle with private pain, but they enjoy a fast friendship despite being from different ­generations. Elderly Lily (Smith) grieves over a son she lost 40 years earlier. Middle-aged Eileen (Bates) fears she might have ­cancer. And young mother Dolly (Agnes O’Casey) worries about her school-age son who refuses to talk. These devout Catholic women plan a pilgrimage to Lourdes in France, hoping to receive miracles at its famous Marian shrine.

Before they leave, Eileen’s ­former friend Chrissie (Laura Linney) returns from a 40-year exile in America. The skeptical Chrissie decides to make the journey too. Each of the characters carries brokenness and guilt, and there’s an acknowledgment that people lack the merit to receive divine reward. We see ­crises of faith and characters who hope despite not fully believing. And the film suggests forgiveness is a greater miracle than any ­benefit experienced in the body.

But the plot is a bit predictable and heavy-handed. The three friends are sympathetic, but their husbands are bullies. The ultimate miracle, of course, is these men will learn to appreciate their wives after having to cook and clean for themselves. The topic of abortion comes up, but so as not to offend either political side, it’s treated with an ambiguity that almost seems flippant.