Shot in the west coast of "modern" day Ireland, The Matchmaker is a lukewarm comedy. A Massachusetts senator, John McGlory, in an attempt to rejuvenate his election campaign deploys his aide, Marcy Tizard to Ireland in an attempt to uncover questionable Irish roots. When Marcy arrives in Ballinagra, the annual Matchmaking Festival has just begun.
Although Marcy attempts to remain focused on discovering the senators' genealogy, she finds she is pursued and humoured by many of the villagers, especially Sean.