Kenny

The funniest Australian comedy since Muriel's Wedding – I laughed so much it had me in tears. In fact, the most of the audience were laughing. This was brilliantly conceived and executed. It had realism to the extent that the person who saw it with me thought it was an actual documentary. The humour was so good-natured, intelligent, authentic, full of irony and contained different layers of reality. The depictions of family life were terrific – the ex-wife, the miserable father, the intolerant brother (played by the real-life brother and director of the film).

The authenticity was enhanced by being filmed on location at actual events such as the Melbourne Cup and the Cleaners and Pumpers Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. The film is naturally full of toilet humour, but not as we are accustomed to. It was really underplayed in a natural, inoffensive and genuinely funny manner.

I didn't intend seeing this film, thinking it would be just another run-of-the-mill feel-good comedies. I went because I had free tickets, and I'm so glad I did. It is highly original and well worth paying to see this real gem of a film that really encapsulates aspects of Australian humour and culture. Kenny is proof that you don't need a big budget to produce a really entertaining film.

The mockumentary format, mostly seen on TV in shows like "People Like Us" (though Christopher Guest in "Spinal Tap" pioneered the form in film), is still novel enough to spring a few surprises. Shane Jacobson as Kenny the Melbourne port-a–loo man is both a surprise and a pleasure. Filmed on a shoestring budget, this film's cheeky manner and adroit editing kept me engaged to the end.

No public event is too big for Kenny and his team as they cater for the lavatorial needs of the public at pop concerts, motor races, sports events and in the grand finale, the Melbourne Cup. In the meantime the good-natured Kenny has to cope with an ex-wife meaner than a junkyard dog, a son he needs to see more of, a difficult and demanding elderly father and less than satisfactory employees. One good piece of fortune does come his way when he scores a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, to a grand poo-collector's convention and meets a nice young lady who's actually interested in him. The plot is a bit on the corny side but that doesn't matter – it's the humour that counts.

As with most mockumentaries the narration plays against what the characters are actually doing, but the dissonance sneaks up on you. Kenny however is not deluded like Ricky Gervais' character "David Brent" in the office – he is a realist. He is also immensely likable. Usually with mockumentaries there is a cringe factor as the hapless protagonist blunders from one faux pas to another (witness David Brent), but that's not the case here. Despite his private life Kenny is immensely capable at work and with him around we know things will turn out all right. Whether it's a ring down the toilet, arson-minded speedway fans, or the victim of a buck's night chained to one of his units, we are confident Kenny will sort it out, the fun is in how.

I hate the expression "gem" but that's what this film is. It's a celebration of the Australian working man, with truth as well as humour. Kenny's final revenge-taking on an arrogant motorist who had boxed his truck in seemed a little out of character, but perhaps justified in the circumstances.

P.S. SNOB ALERT: The upper classes are portrayed as having very little charm indeed.

At last a simple Ozzie film like The Castle. Shane Jacobsen the star and a writer delivers a portrayal of a humble man with warmth and integrity. He supplies and maintains portable toilets to all types of functions. He does his job with pride and dignity. He talks to the audience while going about his daily chores. In many comedies I crack a smile. In this one a laughed out loud. I loved him.

The film was made with a very modest budget and shows what is wrong with many of the current Hollywood fare. You don't make good films with a lot of money. You make them with good scripts and talented actors etc.

Kenny was a pleasant surprise at the video store. At first,I thought it was a real documentary. Later, a few scenes were a bit obvious, but the overall look and fell of it was real. The lead as Kenny, was so believable as this character. The Aussie sense of humor has always been hilarious. When you realize that what one person views as sick, another views as a profession, it tells you just about the limit of our own perspectives. The people who do this kind of work are the independent people who function beyond what we view as respectable. But it is these type of people, the ones who take care of all our basic animal functions, that allow us to operate at the next level. Just imagine what it would be like to have to dispose of all our waste. No thanks!! I actually know someone who does this for a living, although not at Kenny's level! Just like what Kenny says in the film, There will always be a need for this type of thing. What is also funny is just regular situations, like the fish-out-of-water in Nashville who has a child-like fascination for the cutting edge of his craft, not unlike the computer enthusiast at Comdex(this was kind of a Comdex for the crap industry!). Also, most Aussie would be welcome and fit in perfect in Tennessee, which is a state with a healthy respect for this type of man. Overall, I thought this was hilarious, just the way it was written and the natural flow of the events in the film. Average people who just show up for work and do their jobs are not represented nearly enough in film. All we usually get is Beauties and Freaks. The extremes which are not really representative of most. Kenny is everyman, really.

Kenny deserves all the plaudits as a really warmhearted Aussie comedy. I would have rated this movie higher had it not gone slightly off the rails when the character travels to the convention in the US when the film loses much of its momentum. Fortunately all is not lost and the movie quickly returns to its earlier heights.

Kenny tells the tale of a proud plumber and devoted father who is engaged fulltime as a key member of a portable toilet company. He's a rough diamond who - as is often the case in such businesses - is the glue who holds the whole place together.

I loved the way the film attacks the whole concept of job snobbery that originated in Britain but really took hold in the US where many citizens ironically emigrated to escape notions of class.

Kenny is proud of his job and rises above the jerks who seek to define him by virtue of his chosen career. The film does a marvellous job of displaying the hypocrisy of many of his critics in a brilliantly subtle fashion.

Shane Jacobsen is a revelation as Kenny and firmly positions himself among the top ranks of Australian comedians.

Grab that DVD, this is good, clean (ish) fun.