Australia's Best Movie Magazine

Film reviews

Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

search the site

Enter search term:

newsletter

Enter your email address below to receive the weekly Filmink newsletter

Enter search term:

Jucy (Film)

by Erin Free | October 31, 2011 19:29 | Edited October 31, 2011 19:31

The natural chemistry of the leads and frankly funny dialogue make for a delightful local gem.

Polished, warm, and wonderfully frank, Jucy is a fine follow up for director Louise Alston and screenwriter Stephen Vagg, whose impressive and highly enjoyable 2007 debut low budget indie film, All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane, screened around Australia, scored an AFI Award nomination for Best Screenplay, and won the Audience Award at the London Australia and NatFilm Festivals. But despite their first film's envy-inducing collection of laurels, Vagg and Alston actually better it with their sophomore effort, which cuts deeper, has funnier dialogue, and boasts two absolutely adorable lead characters. The fact that it's a rare Australian story about female friendship makes Jucy sing even sweeter.      

 

Jucy centres on Brissie buddies Jackie (Cindy Nelson) and Lucy (Francesca Gasteen), two twenty-something straight girls deep in a "womance" - the female equivalent of a "bromance" - with one another. Accused of being weird, and incorrectly rumoured to be lesbians, they set themselves the goal of finding a boyfriend and a job within three months to prove to the world that they are, indeed, "normal" and capable of living a mainstream existence.

 

While the film's zingy, enjoyably colloquial dialogue and breezy feel are its primary delights, much of the joy comes from the superb performances of the gorgeous Cindy Nelson and Francesca Gasteen, who make their characters funny, charming, and painfully, utterly real. In a brave move, they're never afraid to make Jackie and Lucy occasionally frustrating and maddening, just like most people are in real life, which gives the film a biting and all-too-rare sense of authenticity. By the end of the film, you'll feel like they're your friends too, with all of their endearing foibles and failings.