"Take me hoooome, country rooooad / To the plaaace, I was boooorn… County Antriiiim..." Lacks a certain something, doesn't it?

But without the Irish accents, it would be easy to mistake Small Engine Repair for one of those down-home, apple-pie dramas set in the timbering communities of Oregon or Tennessee.

In a town where everyone wears baseball caps, swigs beer from the bottle (not a single pint of Guinness is pulled) and digs country music, taciturn Doug (Glen) fits right in.

His life is basically a dodgy country song. Jobs are hard to come by, his woman’s got a cheatin’ heart, and - despite the best efforts of his impulsive buddy Bill (Mackintosh) - they don’t play his songs on the radio. As they might say in Texas, Doug is one sorry SOB.

Doug and Bill desperately need a kick in the pants. So when bad penny Burley (Stuart Graham) rolls back into town, he’s only too happy to oblige.

After being jailed for a hit-and-run, the unrepentant Burley is more concerned about finding out who dobbed him in than the consequences of his crime. In the meantime, he amuses himself by bullying his old ‘friends’.

On a hunting trip, Bill recklessly gambles away the toolbox he hoped would keep his son in the repair business and Doug is humiliated for being unable to pull the trigger.

This clunky metaphor sees Doug finally show some spine. Performing on stage is the first step. But Burley loves to keep a good man down and still has a few secrets to share.

Blessed with a solid cast, first-time writer-director Niall Heary creates a suitably introspective atmosphere. Sadly, the plot holds no surprises and the dialogue is about as convincing as Doug’s dreadful lyrics.

Even Tammy Wynette would struggle to stand by a man who begins a verse with "If a man’s heart is like a lawnmower engine…" Ouch.

Elliott Noble