The Nugget

It is now some time since I saw The Nugget. I found it entertaining and chuckled througout it's entire length. The humour may be lost on non-Australians and maybe even on those Australians who haven't spent much time outside of inner Sydney or Melbourne. But if you have grown up or spent some time in rural or regional Australia you will definately appreciate the humour in this film.

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!

So you look at this movie and think - Eric Bana, great, Vince Colosimo, good, that guy from the Castle, yeah, good. You think Australian film set in a country town, plenty of potential here. This has to be great. How wrong could you be ? Characters that could be straight out of a primary school students "composition" book, a story line so projected Blind Freddy could see it coming and so many stereotypes and failed gags you'll be embarrased to watch it. I could only begin to feel the actors pain upon seeing themselves in this absolute flop of a movie.

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.