Criminal Ways

'The Wannabes,' in my opinion was one of THE best comedies of 2003. It had me in stitches laughing for most of the movie. People are saying that 'The Wannabes' was a disappointment, well I say... they are totally wrong! I loved the movie. I highly recommend 'The Wannabes' but just a warning... don't take anyone under the age of 12. I saw it at 11, some parts were inappropriate for an 11 year old to see but overall, I enjoyed it. I give 'The Wannabes' 8.5 out of 10.

This was a great idea. But the over the top characters and the 2nd half of the film where the hysterical Aurora steals the child is a case study of what is wrong with Australian film.

The idea of criminals becoming a hugely popular children's group is clever and could have played our really well if the comedy had come from the real conflicts and characters rather than resorting to a ridiculous subplot that looks completely tacked on.

It amazes me what gets made in this country.

Why do I hate this film? Here we go. 1. It's supposed to be a comedy, but it raises a faint smile a maximum of THREE times. All other attempts at humour are failures, and really obvious failures. 2. It features Russell Dykstra, who was fantastic in Soft Fruit. Even in this crap, you can see that he's talented, but who is ever going to take him on after he's been tainted by this excrement? 3. It's sexist. 4. It's racist. 5. It's homophobic. 6. It relies on a "cute" kid, who delivers his lines with all the plausibility of a hatstand, and for some reason calls undies "jocks," though he's supposed to be Australian. 7. It sets out to satirise the Wiggles, but is so feeble that any Wiggles video would outdo it easily in the wit stakes. 8. It has a cameo by Bert Newton. 9. It has a cameo by Rove McManus. 10. Rove McManus! And there was no warning on the cover, or before the film.

I love checking out movies that IMDb bashes, just to see if they're as bad as everyone says. I'm happy to report I freakin loved this one.

First, here's my take on Australian comedies (based on the two I've seen: THE WANNABEES and RAZZLE DAZZLE). They don't pack as many zingers as Hollywood comedies, but even better, they space out the gags & make you wait for them. The humour is more situational, often not requiring a punchline. In a word: subtle. For this, I'm sure many American viewers may be disappointed or frustrated. But if you like your comedies on the softer side (like the British DEATH AT A FUNERAL, the Japanese KIKUJIRO or even the American DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, I think you'll appreciate this one.

The plot seems old (a bunch of losers band together to pull off some preposterous heist). But as with many great films that share this premise, the beauty is in how creative the story gets within its scope. Here we definitely get a lot of creativity. The film is delightfully predictable, yet surprising and engaging at the same time.

The humour is irreverent but not crass. In fact, I was surprised at the R rating. True, the gags are sometimes "adult" (like the scene where a guy mistakes a dildo for his throat- mic LOL!) but there's never anything explicit or filthy like you might see in one of those American Pie teen flicks. As for irreverent, this movie is not afraid to stereotype people. I suppose it might border on offensive, if you've got a pole up your orifice, but it's not nearly as bad as one of the reviews made it sound. There are a few homosexual characters who act a little queenie, and there's a hilarious Filipino(?) character who can't pronounce the letter 'F'. But none of the gags are mean spirited. In fact, I found it refreshing to see a movie that's not afraid to take us there, sort of like the Sarah Silverman show might do. I think this is the beauty of Aussie comedy. It even makes fun of Australians (or is it making fun of Americans making fun of Australians?) so everyone is fair game.

My only tiny criticism is the way the DVD box highlights Ilsa Fisher as if she's the star of the movie when really she's just an equal co-star with the rest. So if you watch the movie just for her, you may feel unsatisfied. To me, the other performances steal the show. We have such a great lineup of weird yet endearing losers, you can't help but love every one of them.

I really enjoyed this movie, and the minute it ended I wanted to watch it again. If you like subtle, offbeat comedies I'm sure you'll like it too. Check out the movies I mentioned above as well as these other lesser-known gems: THE MAIDEN HEIST, the Canadian ZEYDA AND THE Hit-man, the French CRIME SPREE, and I've mentioned it already--you must see RAZZLE DAZZLE.

Clever scripting, well crafted characters, side splitting humour & wonderful acting....you will find ABSOLUTELY NONE of those qualities within the pathetic & smutty film "THE WANNABES" !!

After the local success of his last film, "THE WOG BOY", comedian (?)Nick Giannopoulos has fallen into the trap of thinking his audience would swallow anything he made, and this poorly executed & terribly acted attempt at comedy is full of immature toilet humour and lame jokes that make you grit your teeth in pain.

The turgid script concerns a bunch of low brow criminals who enlist the aid of a third rate actor to create a Wiggles / Teletubbies type childrens act as a cover for a series of heists. The film just lurches from one painful scene to another as it sinks to the depths of boredom & stupidity, and I can see this film destined to end up in two places...(a) On the IMDB Bottom 100 film listing, and (b), In the $1.00 a week dump bin at your local video library.

Steer well clear of this giant lemon !!