A real one-that-got-away... the book on which it is based was lovely, and it's a perfect role for Kylie Minogue to star in at her peak. She's absolutely fine - sparky and bright, plenty of charisma. It's a shocking waste that she's never been given a lead in an Australian film since.
The film also wastes its budget - it didn't need to cost this much. All those shot of the main street of Bundaberg, the trains going past, the cars in the street, the bars. It could - and should - have been made for one third the price. The photography and production design is lovely as are the costumes - but it didn't need all those panning shots. You can feel the director taking refuge in them.
That's not as big a flaw as Charlie Schlatter's lead performance. He's all wrong - whiny, high pitched voice, not romantic. Ben Mendelsohn - apparently an early front runner - would've been perfect. An American would've been fine, but it needed a young Heathcliff, not a stand up comic type.
The script smells like something rewritten countless times and is full of flaws - no resolution about Brownie's home life, Brownie randomly encountering Lola in a Melbourne bar, irritatingly vague on what Lola did to "get by" in Melbourne, the support parts of that couple feel really undercooked. But that's not as damaging as the miscast lead.
Nice to see Brisbane on the screen.
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