The Club

This is simply a great Aussie film. Unfortunately, films are just not made this way anymore. Not only is it a great satire about a football club, which has probably not changed in 30 years, it is also a wonderful commentary on the commercialization of sport. Comparisons to sport and war are easy after seeing this film. Great performances from Jack Thompson, John Howard and Graham Kennedy as well as cameos from a few of Australia's footballing legends. Bruce Beresford's direction is superb, the theme song became legend and the film is one hilarious argument. It gets better every time you watch it and if you haven't seen it yet, you have to see it soon.

I saw this when I was a teenager in the '80s when it was aired by the Beeb. It is an amusing and droll take on the '70s Aussie macho style. Mustachioed fairhaired Jim Thompson is highly professional as the coach. The abundant sun and light of Australia are astonishing. It is a stablemate to 'Goodbye Pork-pie' (1981) the hilarious and adventurous New Zealand road-movie.

Every time I watch this film I marvel at how well written and acted this film is. It is an excellent analysis of the manouvering and back-stabbing that goes on at a football club but avoids the pitfalls of being overly serious and is also very funny.

There are so many memorable characters one could mention but that the one that stands out for me is the character of Gerry, the club administrator. In every scene he's in, you see how, whenever he has something serious to say to someone, he uses terms like 'we' or 'the committee' - he never uses the term 'I' so that he slyly absolves himself of responsibility of any of the hard decisions that are made. As Laurie says, he is an oily weasel. Sadly, he's the type of person you would find on the AFL Commission these days.

Finally, to correct a previous reviewer, the song is 'Up there Cazaly', named after the footballer Roy Cazaly.

"The Club" by David Williamson was an excellent play which addressed many issues about the changing face of sport. This particular film does justice to the play by having actors that give solid and believable performances. If you have seen the play, you may not enjoy certain aspects of this film, but the use of more then a single room or set adds a new dimension to the story. Footage of actual games as well as real club locations is added. Perhaps the best part of this film is the ending as it is very true and satisfying. Worth watching - even if you have no interest in the sport of Aussie Rules.

I first saw "The Club" in high school as the play the film was based on was part of the English required reading list. I enjoyed the film but thought that with the Australian Rules Football setting, people unfamiliar with the sport would find many of the references obscure and dislike the film. Having seen "The Club" again recently, I realised that although somewhat dated, the film is as much about the wheeling and dealing that occurs off the field as it is about the action on the field. The action that takes place in the boardroom would be instantly familiar to fans of any sport and it's in these scenes the movie comes to life. Any producer wanting to remake "The Club" with the American market in mind needs only to replace the references to Australian Rules football with baseball or basketball and the script would be ready to go into production.

The Producers would also be wise to recast Jack Thompson as the coach as he gives a great understated performance that deserves an encore.

Certainly worth a viewing on a wintry evening.