The Nugget

I don't understand how this movie could get some of the bad reviews I've seen. It may not be as good as 'The Castle' but as far as Australian made movies goes this is one of the best of a bad bunch. I could see nothing wrong with acting and the script was not the best, but it wasn't terrible. I think it's an insult to say that Eric Bana only became successful because of 'Chopper' he's a great actor and this film does nothing to take away from that fact. I think all the actors did a good job and to compare the acting of Dave O'Neil to that of a 12 year old is a horrible thing to say and anyone who says so should be ashamed. Every other reviewer that commented badly on this movie should hang their heads, not the actors, and I'd thank you to let the people involved in this movie keep their dignity.

Lotto (Eric Bana, perhaps the only actor known in the States in this film), and his two buddies Wookie and Sue (yes, a boy named Sue), work for the road department. They live in semi-rural Australia and, while the jobs pay the bills, these guys dream big. To bask in extreme wealth, that's their goals. But, too often, to the chagrin of their wives, they blow money on bets and frivolity. Lotto even uncovers a 100 thousand dollar ticket but, bad luck, the tiny scratch off falls in a drain, never to be seen again. Desperate, the men have heard that "there's gold in them ther hills" nearby. Purchasing an expensive metal detector, they spend every weekend searching for treasure. What a way to make mates happy! Nevertheless, they find a HUGE nugget of gold and, very joyful, bury it. But, someone has watched them. Now, they must resort to trickery to get it back. Can they do it? Oh, and they have already told their boss to take their jobs and shove em! This is a fine Australian comedy with the one and only Eric Bana, made just as he was reaching stardom. He is funny and, along with his two co-horts, form a great new trio of stooges. The rest of the cast is nice, too, as is the scenery, script, and fun-filled direction. You won't be a fool to go for the gold with this little winner!

No spoilers are possible for this movie - let's face it, the promos give it away. Boys find nugget, boys lose nugget, boys lose friends, boys find .... well, they find a lot of things. But moving on, I have two personal glimpses here that you might find of interest.

1. My wife and I own a rural property near Mudgee, where this film was made, and we have travelled much in this area. So from personal experience I can tell you that the countryside that you saw in this film is really every bit as spectacular and wild as it appears. The producers of the film wouldn't have had to look very far or wide to find the place that they did. It's ALL like that!!!

2. Someone made a comment previously about that "they don't make helicopters that small". Well, unlikely as it seems, they do: there was a McDonalds commercial made a couple of years ago that had two tiny remote controlled helicopters in it. That commercial was made in my street. The tiny helicopter scenes in it are "real": I saw them being made. So I now have no trouble believing that they could have used something like this to film the aerial sequences, which yes, are absolutely spectacular.

I also have serious doubts a previous reviewer's comment about that this film would go well overseas. Much of the humour, the language, the situation scenes are very very local Australian in nature, and I am extremely skeptical that they would carry over to other countries, even to other English speaking ones like Britain or the United States. Given how (for example) Norman Gunston was not all that well understood overseas, I can't see that the characters in this movie would fare any better.

Peter Moon seems to have well and truly typecast himself as a caricature of the most disgusting Australian male ever to be filmed, but in a humourous context rather than a "gross" one. Everytime he came on, I couldn't help but think of that immortal line from his "Good morning, Moscow" gags: "Oh Victor... you very unattractive man".

I was a little disappointed that the women cast as the characters wives were cast as "just wives". I would have liked to have seen Belinda Emmett given the opportunity to see if she really is anything more than just a "soapie chick".

Despite all the seeming negatives, I thought it was a very funny movie. Certainly it had that "working dog" look about it; but given the main actors and their backgrounds, there was also a lot of "Fast Forward" and "Full Frontal" about it as well. I would have loved to have seen Steve Vizard given a part in this movie.

Several of Max Cullen's lines, especially the ones where he sets the rather unusual price on his gold lease, suggest that there may well be a sequel. To quote another ad: "I'd like to see that"!!!!!!

The Nugget is a very funny film. There is a laugh every minute and the three male leads have some golden moments. Their mateship, which is threatened by greed, survives the turmoils wrought by the prospect of instant wealth. Line of the film is when Steven Curry says of his mates to his wife.'They dont judge me' The film opens with the most impressive crane shot you've ever seen. It looked like a small helicopter did the it but they dont make them that small. The wives of the three mates are all great individual characters. Likeable but not cliched. Producer, Writer and Director Bill Bennett really knows how to make a great film. Go and see it.

Summary:

If you want to experience some Australian culture on your screen watch this movie.

It is a story of a bunch of local council slackers and their "discovery", a simple tale of fate and mate ship.

Direction, writing and acting is all very smooth, Australian, cut and very funny.

Feeling good the Aussie way.

Read below if want slightly more detailed information:

Eric Bana does very well in his role, it suits him down to the ground, the character he plays is very likable, a local council worker wanting more material things in life but does not have the money.

His friends are also very funny and there is many moments of funny interactions on screen.