The Sapphires

It's easy to be cynical about this film -- yes the plot is a little clunky and some of the lines are cheesy. But it is a hugely enjoyable movie, with lots of good points. The four girl actors are all great and they don't over-play their parts. When the girls arrive in Vietnam you get a sense of how very young and wide-eyed they are, despite their wisecracks. Chris O'Dowd as the Irish manager is hilarious, although he doesn't venture far from his character on Bridesmaids, or TV's IT Crowd -- that is, the bumbling but endearing Irish sweetie. The music and costumes are fantastic and the cinematography is lovely. I loved how Aborigines were portrayed as being strong and loving, and how many Aborigines have white as well as black blood, and struggle to straddle both cultures. The film provides a slightly sanitised, but still worthwhile, picture of an interesting time in Australian, and world, history.

I am a musician who loves soul and a sucker for war movies, so this movie would have to be pretty bad for me to dislike it. Was it perfect? No, far from it - but parts were darned near. That the only face on the screen I knew was one I quite like (Chris O'Dowd) and the lead female (Deborah Mailman) ate the camera up - a refreshing thing to see an unconventional beauty do. Without giving overmuch away, the good: The back story is heartbreaking, the Vietnam bits looked great, the main actors were excellent. The bad: Some of the performances seemed a bit canned, the lead singer sounded like a '90s pop star (with even some auto-tuner) and not everyone on camera was much of an actor - but it's an indie film, so I'm willing to forgive.

If you enjoyed The Commitments, know you some 'Nam films, know something about Australia & the sad treatment of the Aboriginal people and you like old soul music, you'll like this movie. It struck me as nearly a perfect date movie for folks willing to think just a bit, with things for guys and gals alike.

First and foremost, it's important to say that this is a drama, and the comedy and music are secondary. An enormous relief, in a film that needed to tell a story, and not turn the experiences of the four girls, and their manager, in to a musical.

'The Sapphires' tells a uniquely Australian story of four Aboriginal girls who overcame the prejudice of the 60s to find themselves sent off to Vietnam to entertain the troops, along with their charismatic, but occasionally inept, manager (Chris O'Dowd). There's a decent ensemble cast, with exceptional performances from Deborah Mailman and Shari Sebbens.

The film is uplifting, gently deals with some big issues that faced Aborigines and is entertaining to just about anyone. Some criticism of the film was that it underplayed both the Vietnam War itself, and a couple of related events (easily spotted in the film), however I disagree. The film was busy drawing together the strands of storyline concerning the girls. To have emphasised any further the war, or any particular event, could only have detracted from the audience's appreciation of the other characters.

Highly recommended for just about anyone. Non-Australians will be introduced to a little of Aboriginal culture and their struggle for equality, as well as a ripper movie that's fun and funny; Australians will be glad to see a rare story of Aboriginal triumph in the 20th century.

My neighbour gave me her free tickets to see this film as she was unable to attend. I knew nothing at all about the film and went somewhat apprehensively. I needn't have worried however as it was a fantastic film.

It follows four young girls who leave their Aboriginal community in the hope of entertaining US troops in Vietnam and becoming big stars. That's all it does. The director doesn't try to overplay it and make it overly dramatic. Instead it feels somewhat like a documentary, with no clear path as to where it's going.

The actresses playing the four girls were superb, all being fantastic actresses who are believable in their work, but also incredible singers. Jessica Mauboy in particular was amazing and I honestly could have listened to them all night, no dialogue needed. Chris O'Dowd, the manager of the band, is funny while being endearing. The director subtly brought romance into the plot without taking anything away from the main story.

Racism was a key topic that was brought up regularly to show how Aboriginal people were treated in the community and all the characters have to deal with it in some form of another. Kay in particular has to decide between being a white or black girl. It also brings home how prevalent it was then with one white solider refusing to be treated by a black doctor. It was truly harrowing.

The film was shot wonderfully, with the Aboriginal community lit up in beautiful sunshine, while Vietnam scenes were kept bleak and grey.

A great film that I would watch again.

I absolutely wanted to see this movie because of it being Australian & Jessica Mauboy stars in it!

It wasn't a let down. It's an absolutely brilliant story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I found the characters very likable and hate-able too. (But for good reason.)

The songs that were sung were brilliant and thank-god it wasn't just another High School Musical film... what? Why am I saying this? There isn't even any similarity.

The story itself was marvelous, although it felt a little rushed at times. The romance was also quite good. Very emotional scenes! The comedy was spot on 90% of the time and there were some of the funniest/corniest lines in movies I've seen ever! Also, to whoever said that they're just cheesie and the movie is a cliché: they should all go die. Because it wasn't clearly and people can't reinvent the English language and make up jokes that no one understands?

Lastly, the brilliant central Australian cast were beautiful and very talented. You should go see it. Everyone should go see it!