The Castle

Every once and while you find yourself watching a movie you have heard nothing about. A film with no A-Listed actors, no director with a treasure trove of awards and the sheer name of the films title at an office water cooler would result in blank stares and crickets scratching their hind legs in the background. Such was the case with the 1997 Australian gem, The Castle.

Directed by Rob Sitch, who went on to help another underachieving treasure with The Dish, the story is about an Australian family's struggle to keep their home in lieu of being given a compulsory notice from the government that the airport is expanding where their house presently stands. Although I try not to be simplistic and sum up an entire plot in as little as one sentence, really, that is all you need you know to enjoy this independent comedy.

The family is played by a host of unknowns. Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry, Anthony Simcoe, Sophia Lee and Wayne Hope play Darryl, Sal, Dale, Steve, Tracy and Wayne Kerrigan. The family lives a simple life and enjoys their time together to the fullest. They complement each other at each dinner table, they watch television as a family unit and they spend their time discussing items listed for sale in the trades papers. Their sister just got married and other than the eldest son being in jail for a crime the family holds no grudges, things could not be better.

So when the government sends notice that they must leave their house for the airport expansion, they agree not to go down without a fight and they illicit the help of other street families and a local barrister that has no business defending in Federal Court.

You might think this all sounds very serious for a comedy plot line, but it's the exact opposite. The story begins with a long narration from the youngest son who reflects on how proud he is of his family. He talks about how each member bring a unique talent to the unit and how the father figure is the one that is full of positive reinforcement. The narration and visuals surrounding his description are Australian humor at its best. Whether we are laughing at the fathers adoration and praise of simple tasks like the scooping of ice cream from a tub or the wonderment of family members over an invention of a motorcycle helmet with a brake light on the back, we marvel at the sheer naivety of the family and what it deems to be important.

The best way to covey this functional family unit is to describe it as a family of Woody Boyd's from Cheers or a litter of Joey characters from Friends. They all utter words we would deem obtuse, but it is all in good fun and it comes across as simple people simply observing their surroundings and commenting on how they interact with the world. As example, when Dale Kerrigan is speaking of the family's fame after taking the matters to court, he narrates, `Dad said it was funny how one day you're not famous, and the next day you are. Famous. And then you're not again.' There speech is entirely primitive, but funny in the same vein.

To go into more detail about the film would give away too much and this film must really be viewed and enjoyed without expectation. You may not belly laugh at any time during the short 84 minute running time, but I doubt you won't spend time shaking your head in reaction to something a Kerrigan family member utters with a ‘I can't believe he just said that' notion.

So I recommend The Castle. I recommend it with pause. It is an above average comedy that was made for less money than the cost of the Matrix end credits (They used the family name Kerrigan so they could use Kerrigan trucks during the shoot), but it can teach us a lot about the family unit. Here is a group of simpletons that love each other, respect each other and will do anything to preserve their ‘home'. What better lesson is there than that?

Finally after 20 years of hearing about this movie I found a copy of the DVD and have now watched it a couple of times. It is immensely enjoyable.

Like the lawyer in the movie says "Its the vibe of the thing". The tone of the film is very gentle and funny. The family are simple folk and it would have been easy to mock them but the script writing and editing is sharp and it hits the spot.

I first visited Australia in 1985 and even lived there for a few years. This movie was released in 1997 and shows a a window into an Australia culture that has largely gone now but that is part of its charm.

There are plenty of jokes in the film and you probably know some of them already. Michael Caton in the lead role is a master class of under statement. I also like that Charles "Bud" Tingwall plays a lawyer who does the right thing.

The vibe of the movie is the thing and even after more than 20 years it is a classic moment in Australian fictional history that is still worth viewing into the future.

This movie was quite a surprise, and a pleasant one at that. To be honest, I would probably never have rented nor watched this movie if broadcast, based on the amateurish look of the video cover and the ads. My reaction to it, before seeing it was that it was another movie slapped together to piggyback onto the success of another movie with the same actor/director/theme etc.etc. while the fire was hot. But, a friend borrowed it from the library, and the video was sitting there, so I decided to watch it. Was I happily surprised! The one liners make this movie, if you pay attention and catch them all, this movie has many a belly laugh. It was true to life too, I KNOW these people, whether they come from Australia or Arkansas, they're out there, and this is their reality.

Remove the accents, put a few non working appliances in the front yard, a car up on cinder blocks, and you have the American version. A very nice surprise for me, if you like humor that doesn't insult your intellect, you'll like this movie. Many a memorable line in it too.

I would disagree with others who have commented on the profanity in this movie. In this case there is very little profanity for profanity's sake, it's usually very well timed and ads to the storyline, like when he passes the barrister the note in court.

This is an very Australian film built for a particular sense of humour. Having lived in both Sydney and Melbourne, I feel I can say that this will appeal more to the Melbourne than the Sydney sense of humour.

Forget "The Crocodile Hunter", Nicole Kidman or Russel Crowe. This is a lot closer to your typical Australian.

Reading the other comments, two things surprised me.

1) That anybody outside Australia, the UK, NZ or Ireland actually got this movie. To those Americans who praised it, thank you for taking the time to appreciate something outside your normal experiences.

and

2) The ferocity with with those who didn't get it damned the movie.

The Castle is very very clever. Yes, there are references to "wogs" and "lebs", but if given how that's exactly how a large percentage of these ethnic groups refer to themselves, they are terms without power and thus are rarely used in a racist sense. Melbourne is a wog city. It has the largest Greek population outside of Greece and is the third largest Greek city in the world. It also feature a huge population of first, second or third generation Italians. Some of my ex-coworkers sounded like they were straight out the Godfather. Then there are the lebs and the polacks and and a great mix of European Cultures.

Wogs. The lot of them. :)

To reduce the movie to laughing at the lack of intelligence in the family or to picking on racial minorities (not that the wogs are a minority in Melbourne), is to miss the point entirely. If you don't live in Aus, I can fully understand why this would be the case.

But simply because a movie is a outside your understanding or experience or doesn't fit your personal expectations of what is "funny" it no reason to condemn it. Once you get more sophisticated than "Beverly Hills Cop", you are not going to carry 100% of the audience, and the audience shouldn't expect that it would. (Notable exceptions exist.. Dead Poets' Society immediately comes to mind)

Personally, I like movies is one that makes a social comment, or those that a rift in society and stir informed debate. The Castle is a reflection on the "Australian Dream", if such a thing exists, which is that everybody should get "A fair go". This is streets apart from the American dream of riches beyond imagination at the expense of everything else, and highlights the great difference between the two cultures.

This is one of those movies, like "This Is Spinal Tap", that appears to aim low but taps into a certain subculture so precisely that it is elevated into something wonderful.

As a pom living in Sydney, I always insist that all overseas visitors watch this film in order to "get" Australia and Australians. The Kerrigan family are easy to mock, but qualities of togetherness, moral courage, unpretentiousness and un-PC earthiness embody a great strand of the national character and warm them to us.

Most of all, though, The Castle is just plain funny. You'll find yourself using the catchphrases over and over again, and you'll smile every time you do it. It's just one of those films. A classic.