Dir. Cherie Nowlan, Australia, 2007, 105 mins
Cast: Brenda Blethyn, Emma Booth, Khan Chittenden
Review by Carol Allen
Blethyn plays Jean, divorced English immigrant mum of Tim (Chittenden) and his intellectually disabled brother Mark (Richard Wilson). Dad (Frankie J. Holden), who still pops up from time to time in their lives, is a one-hit country and western singer turned security guard, still hoping for a second break 25 years on, while Jean, who supports the family as a canteen lady, also works the minor clubs as a stand up comedienne. Her view that she sacrificed a successful career in England by becoming an Australian wife and mothe,r and the struggle she's had to bring up her sons, make her a possessive mum, reluctant to accept that her boys are growing up. So, when Tim meets and falls for Jill (Booth), the family is in for an explosive time from the volatile Jean.
Blethyn plays her part to the hilt as a cross between her award winning role as Cynthia in Secrets and Lies and a female Bernard Manning. Her onstage act is bawdy, crude, offensively sexist and so creakingly old fashioned one has more than a sneaking suspicion that Jean's career would have been over even if she had stayed in England. No surpise then that, much as he loves her, Tim finds her somewhat embarrassing. The woman's frankly a bit of a manipulative monster, but Blethyn makes her vulnerable enough to be understandable and even at times sympathetic.
Chittenden and Booth as the young lovers are charming in the awkward development of their relationship. He's sexually inexperienced and hasn't a clue while she has body image insecurity issues. There are good performances too from Wilson as Mark, who may be brain damaged due to a birth accident but is by no means stupid. He has a wicked sense of humour and impres ive damage limitation skills when it comes to dealing with his mother, while Holden plays his dad as a very Australian likeable loser. Philip Quast, star of the London musical stage ("Les Miserables", "Sunday in the Park with George" etc) is Brenda's boisterously slimy manager Ronnie.
The feelgood ending is a bit too pat but overall it's a likeable comedy with a bit of heart and a goodly helping of Aussie tartness. If you're old enough to remember an English variety artist called Ronnie Ronalde, famous for his whistling and yodellling in the fifties, you may be surprised to spot him popping up in one of Jean's shows as a bird imitation act. He's now in his mid eighties and still going strong down under.
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