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The Vow

A saccharine and paint-by-numbers slice of romance, which is largely boosted by the appeal of its two leads.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (3D)

The under-utilised 3D adds little to this prequel, which only serves as a sore reminder of the brilliance of the original films.

Any Questions For Ben?

The talented bunch of actors ably cut through the surface gloss, but it’s tough to remain invested in the plight of the self-absorbed lead.

Shame

It starts off as brutal but arresting stuff, and the two lead performances are scorching, but disappointingly dissolves into a case of tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

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Bran Nue Dae (Film)

by Liz Graham | January 11, 2010 15:42 | Edited January 11, 2010 15:45

Falls short of its potential, with mediocre performances and dance sequences.

With Bran Nue Dae, director Rachel Perkins (best known for her 1998 film Radiance) brings the successful Australian stage musical of the same name to the big screen. On paper, it all looks promising: there's a solid cast led by Geoffrey Rush and Ernie Dingo; original musical author Jimmy Chi is on board as a screenwriter; and the vibrant palette of Broome features prominently. Perkins stumbles with the film's execution, however. Inconsistent dance numbers and an unrelenting parade of stereotypes squander any goodwill generated by the film's joyous raw energy.

 

Set in Broome in 1969, the film revolves around Willy (newcomer Rocky McKenzie), an Aboriginal teenager who loves his idyllic hometown, as well as local girl Rosie (Jessica Mauboy), but reluctantly attends a Catholic boarding school in Perth to satisfy his mother's desire for him to become a priest. When Willy stands up to the harsh corporal punishment administered by the school's headmaster, Father Benedictus (Geoffrey Rush), he flees school and befriends local hobo Uncle Tadpole (Ernie Dingo), who dubiously promises to get him back to Broome. Aided by two hippies (Missy Higgins and Tom Budge) with a kombi van, the duo embarks on a picaresque road trip, with Benedictus in hot pursuit.

 

While Geoffrey Rush and Ernie Dingo ham it up with enjoyable vigour, Missy Higgins and Tom Budge flail about with their sweet but dumb hippy characters, garnering way too much screen time. Magda Szubanski and Deborah Mailman's overly sexed characters seem out of place in this otherwise PG narrative. Rocky McKenzie shows good comic timing as the naive Willy, but not enough physical ease to be convincing as the hero of a musical. He's not helped by awkward choreography and clumsy editing around the dance numbers. The film ends on a high note, but you know that this could have, and should have, been a lot better.