An Everlasting Piece

An Everlasting Piece is a 2000 American comedy film. The movie was directed by Barry Levinson and written by and starring Barry McEvoy. The plot involves two wig salesmen, one Catholic and one Protestant, who live in war torn Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the mid-'80s. The supporting cast includes comedian Billy Connolly as a lunatic in a psychiatric hospital.

McEvoy based the screenplay on the adventures of his own father as a toupée peddler to both sides in the midst of the conflict. The movie was shot on location in Belfast.

Cast
Barry McEvoy	 ... Colm Brian F. O'Byrne	... George Anna Friel	... Bronagh Pauline McLynn	... Gerty Ruth McCabe	... Mrs. O'Neill Laurence Kinlan	... Mickey Billy Connolly	... Scalper Des McAleer	... Mr. Black Colum Convey	... IRA Man Ian Cregg	... Milker David Pearse	... Comrade Seamus Ball	... Mr. Duggan Enda Oates	... Detective Des Braiden	... Vicar George Shane	... Billy King

Plot
The story begins with Colm on his way to start a new job, as a barber in a Belfast psychiatric hospital. As he receives his orientation, and is introduced to the staff who are nearly all called Billy, he resents being referred to as 'The new Catholic'. Before being introduced to his fellow barber, George, he is warned not to bring up the subject of poetry. With nothing to do and nothing in common to talk about with George, Colm decides to ask him about poetry and is subjected to George's very poor efforts, which he pretends to appreciate. As the orderlies start bringing patients in, the pair relax and talk about all manner of subjects, with George relating a notable story about chasing a joyrider who stole his brother's car, insisting that during the chase they got George's Ford Escort up to 190mph before it blew up. Later, on their way back to the barber room they meet an orderly escorting a new patient whom he calls "The Scalper", explaining he was the only seller of hair pieces in all of Northern Ireland until he went crazy and scalped some of his customers. Colm and George immediately hit upon a plan. They decide to meet with the Scalper and convince him to give them his list of customers so that they may take over the hairpiece monopoly he formerly owned. The Scalper calls them "Greedy sad little children" but agrees to give them the list, if they give him a good reason why he should. Colm's answer of "because we're bored" satisfies him enough and he lets them have the list. Colm and George, as 'The Piece People' embark upon their mission to get rich, with Colm's girlfriend Bronagh helping them out with administrative duties. She sets their first appointment with Mr Black, who denies any knowledge of a hairpiece appointment but lets them into his house and eventually agrees to buy one off them. It later is revealed that he wasn't on the list, Bronagh had seen his picture in the newspaper because he shot a Catholic. After a time of little success in selling their hairpieces, they discover that they are not the only ones who acquired the Scalper's client list and their supplier, Wigs Of Wimbledon, have decided to hold a meeting with The Piece People and "Toupée or not Toupée", their rival company. At this meeting George learns that the company that sells the most wigs wins exclusive rights to sell their products in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, Colm tracks down Mr Black and retrieves the wig he bought because Mr Black's cheque had bounced and he refused to pay in cash. While making his escape, the wig is grabbed from him by a pack of dogs who chew it up, but he manages to get it back from them. After visiting Mr Duggan, a farmer who is secretly bald, and failing to sell him a wig because Toupée Or Not Toupée are selling below cost in order to win the competition, the partners get stopped an a remote road by members of the IRA demanding to know what they are up to. This confrontation results in them selling the wig retrieved from Mr Black to the lead IRA man who does not notice it had been chewed up by dogs in the interim. The competition is raging, but the IRA man accidentally leaves his wig at the scene of a bombing, prompting the RUC to investigate The Piece People, and after being interrogated, George gets angry with Colm for dragging him into the mess and they have a falling out. Meanwhile the IRA man tracks down Colm and demands he sells the IRA all the wigs they want as every bald catholic in the country is being compared with the wig found at the scene of the bombing and it was only a matter of time before he would be caught. Colm refuses on the grounds that his business partner is a Protestant and it would be unethical, despite how the sales would almost guarantee the exclusive deal with Wigs of Wimbledon. Colm goes to George's poetry reading (where George is reciting a muich better quality of poetry than that which he first recited in the opening scenes) and makes up with him, and together with Bronagh's help, they discover that many soldiers in the British Army in Northern Ireland are suffering from Alopecia due to the extremely stressful conditions and manage to secure a government contract to supply them with wigs for all soldiers wanting one. This proves to be enough to win them the competition and The Piece People become the sole hairpiece salesmen in the country.