The Club

This is simply a great Aussie film. Unfortunately, films are just not made this way anymore. Not only is it a great satire about a football club, which has probably not changed in 30 years, it is also a wonderful commentary on the commercialization of sport. Comparisons to sport and war are easy after seeing this film. Great performances from Jack Thompson, John Howard and Graham Kennedy as well as cameos from a few of Australia's footballing legends. Bruce Beresford's direction is superb, the theme song became legend and the film is one hilarious argument. It gets better every time you watch it and if you haven't seen it yet, you have to see it soon.

This film may lack the polish and production qualities of the Hollywood and British movies of the same time. But it came at a time when Australia was making good films about Australian subjects using Australians. The acting is good and the script is well written.

Again David Williamson has shone, and showed us how his plays become gem movies. If you're a footy player, you're gonna love this movie cause you'll relate with it. C'mon, let's face it, every footy player is expendable. What's happening here, is just buck passing. What I loved about Jack Thompson's character, the best player in this one, is he shoots straight from the hip. It's such an effective performance, you'd think he really was footballer. Frank Wilson and Graham Kennedy, (sorry, Kennedy, a slimy captain is the best performer here) are the representatives of this team, who signed on a new player, yes John Howard in his much thinner days, who'd rather watch a seagull, then kick a ball. Howard, the comic in this tale, too sees through this dirty game, where a score of good players are removed, so the club fights back. It's great when Howard pulls Wilson's chain, with a childhood story. The happy ending that will send hearts appeased, will make you howl with victory, it's message of fighting back, has never hit harder. Watch this for Kennedy's finest moment as the great actor and legendary icon he was.

Every time I watch this film I marvel at how well written and acted this film is. It is an excellent analysis of the manouvering and back-stabbing that goes on at a football club but avoids the pitfalls of being overly serious and is also very funny.

There are so many memorable characters one could mention but that the one that stands out for me is the character of Gerry, the club administrator. In every scene he's in, you see how, whenever he has something serious to say to someone, he uses terms like 'we' or 'the committee' - he never uses the term 'I' so that he slyly absolves himself of responsibility of any of the hard decisions that are made. As Laurie says, he is an oily weasel. Sadly, he's the type of person you would find on the AFL Commission these days.

Finally, to correct a previous reviewer, the song is 'Up there Cazaly', named after the footballer Roy Cazaly.

An Aussie cult classic. Although a fictional story it is set in a real VFL (now AFL) club, Collingwood, one of the biggest sporting clubs in Australia (as a Carlton man it hurts me to say that :)). Shot on location at Collingwood's home ground of Victoria Park it features real Magpie footballers of the era, including Rene Kink. All of game footage, with the exception of those featuring John Howard is actual game footage from VFL game of the time & featuring many Melbourne football identities including Lou Richards & Scotty Palmer.