This had one of the best concepts for an Aussie comedy in recent years -Jimeoin as an extra - but they totally muffed it. How did one film make so many bad decisions? Starts with this great gladiator opening sequence, then we see Jimeoin watching in the audience - he's an extra,you see. And he sees his bit's been cut out. So he sulks. Dude, you're an extra.
Jimeoin is one the most likable stars working in Australia but here he's totally unlikeable - he just wants to be famous, by any means necessary (this is totally opposite the easy going persona the Irishman has established over the years), which is such an uninspiring lousy goal. To make it worse, he doesn't deserve to be famous - he's a lousy extra (he can't keep quiet when someone steps on his foot, which I understand is painful but those are the sort of things actors need to do when the cameras are rolling), he doesn't work hard as a stripper for ages, he's not very nice to the charming Katherine Slattery (the best thing about the movie despite the yuck factor of the STD meet cutes).
There are some funny digs about working on mammoth productions and extras being told not to make eye contact with stars and asking them how they like the country etc which you think is going to lead into some good satire of Matrix productions here... but the film is set in this sort of never never fantasy land which robs the story of its culutral context. A plot finally stars up over half way through when Rhys Muldoon decides to make his own movie and it's a great idea having the movie buff gangster, but the wheels never fully come on. So maddeningly frustrating because there are some good ideas and talent but its just a mess.
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