Hogar dulce... pesadilla

Before The Money Pit came on the scene, a year earlier, this little gem came out. Hardly having a cinema screening (it was actually on together with Wills And Burke) this little beauty was responsible for a new Aussie icon, Les Tunkley of Tunkley Tyres. His brother Des, his wife and kid reside in a beach caravan park. The wife, a hot Joy Smithers, wants out. So they move out into Sydney's West or South West to a new estate area, where unlike The Money Pit, things slowly start to come apart, even the letterbox keels over. This is what makes the film more fun, really wondering what next is gonna go. They live in a court, where soon, a friendship, turns sour with the neighbours across the street. As you can imagine the whole house comes apart at the end, which was fun to watch. If compared to Money Pit, this one is actually more fun, probably cause I'm an ocker, the woman real estate agent, I thought was a hoot. If a fan of movies like The Castle, This one I guarantee you'll like. Although it's not side splitting, this better spelled backward titled, Emoh Ruo, has some colourful, memorable, if classic moments, due to some of it's wacky characters. Invest in this flick today, which would be much harder than house hunting, to track this flick down.

What "The Castle" was to Melbourne in the 90s, "Emoh Ruo" is to Sydney in the 80s.

A "typical" not so wealthy young couple with child live in a caravan in a wealthy Sydney suburb. After an unfortunate incident, and after being seduced by an immensely funny parody of a TV Home Loan commercial, they decide to build a "dream home" of their own. Being completely innocent of such matters, they therefore become victims of builders, real estate salesmen, the bank, of tradition, of society, and even of their own families. They don't cope at all well to start (he loses his job and she becomes quite neurotic); although all crises are happily resolved in the end, even if in a somewhat unexpected way.

Unlike some other very funny movies, this one has a coherent plot, a believable (for a comedy) storyline; and some actual depth to the characters. It's more than a collection of gags strung together. It's a wry commentary on what was a reality to many people of the day. In many ways, a political cartoon made into a movie.

Oh to see it. 1984. I was 12. Gosh has it been that long! When we had Leyland leopards, and Mark 4s were new. Brookvale Bus depot was more relaxed, and the movie was shot near the Narabeen lakes. AHH. Western Sydney was in the sticks, with very little around. A funny and corny story by today's standards, but I just love it. The family in the story, live in a very crampy caravan, when Terry forces her husband to sell everything they have and get a HUGE mortgage. The poor couple are forced to work night and day to meet the minimum payments, and when he loses his driver's license one day, everything goes wrong. They end up coming to a better agreement, and a happy ending ensues, with our family driving into the sun on their trip to their new home.

Fab 80's fashions, and house designs. The cars are to die for :)

To see Australian film quality in the past (Well the early 80's), this is the one to watch. Not available on DVD, I hope it will be, one day, but I still have my trusty VHS tape, bought for $10. Gosh!

"Emoh Ruo" is an unfunny Australian comedy about a young family who move out of their caravan into a supposedly swank suburban home only to find the house is a piece of garbage, so liable to break that it feels less like a comedy than a horror flick about a house trying to kill its new occupants.

Other than the fact that it's not funny, and silly and implausible in a way that feels desperate, there's not much to say about this justifiably forgotten movie apart from the surprising nudity. The sexy Joy Smithers gets her kit off at least a few times, as does another lady with bigger breasts. In fact the first shot of the movie depicts the naked Smithers all covered in suds but still showing her bare bum and breasts, who is then surprised by the arrival of the owner of the house she is bathing in. Moments later, the woman enters and finds Smithers not only dry but also fully dressed. How did she get to that state so quickly? This juxtaposition of nudity with bad editing and idiotically handled devlopments basically sums up the whole movie.

This brings back memories of Sydney back in the '80s when I was growing up! Very well done, packed with laughs and lots of visual gags and spoofs of people from the home loan, building and banking industry. Anybody who has been through the experience of saving up to buy a new home for the family on limited finances should be able to relate to the movie.

A great cast of people bringing to life some very likable characters help bring you into the story. Many of the actors went on to become famous and well accomplished in the years to follow. It's funny seeing them so young in this movie!