One of the most influential Australian films ever made – shot for $45,000 it later enjoyed AFC post production funding up to $500,000 and was sold for $1 million, inspiring scores of other Australian films to follow suit, none of which enjoyed this one’s success.
There are several reasons this one broke through (although it should be pointed out it was not a massive hit at the box office, earning around $1.6 million which puts it a long way from “Castle” status): Emma Kate Crogan’s expert, energetic direction, the sheer likeability of the film (it quotes from pop culture in manic, Gen X style but never seems affected or pretentious), the excellence of the cast (including two future world stars, Radha Mitchell and Frances O’Connor, plus an international name in Matt Day and a very likeable Alice Garner – even Matt Dkynstski who comes across as a bad actor pretentious wanker fits the role), an unaffected lesbian angle (then rare in a romantic comedy) and the title.
If it had a stronger story an a bit more plot it might have done even better (the filmmakers didn’t get away with it on their next film “Strange Planet”), but it is an impossible film to dislike.
I remember watching O’Connor in the cinema when this came out and going – “that person is going to be a star”. It’s only happened a few other times for me – Ewen McGregor in “Shallow Grave” and Colin Farrell in that Joel Schumacher Vietnam War thing he was in.
NB the DVD lists this as having a “director’s commentary” but actually it’s a commentary from Stavros, the producer. Slack, guys!
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