Love Serenade

This terrific little movie has a simple but bizarre plot that gets completely weird along the way ...

It's very realistic for anyone who has lived in a REALLY small town before ...

The Aussie "Bush" never looked so good. My favourite shot - the wedding dress run across those wide, open grain fields.

Clever direction tells you things without the clumsiness of deliberate speech e.g. keep a look out for the wheelchair in the lounge of the sisters' house, it's one of the few clues you get to their former family life.

Wonderful performances, music etc etc. An Aussie Classic.

There are some films that seem to go so deep, they should just be allowed to go on and on. Their light is so bright they seem to compete with nature itself - they uplift and enlighten. Love Serenade, with it's repetitive Barry White underscore, its dead-on "this is not an act" performances and above all it's eccentric, unforeseen dialogue, plot and visuals has been added to my list of all-time bests. There's so much to learn here about art.

I've noticed that some people here are having a hard time finding this film, Love Serenade, on video or DVD. I was lucky enough to be able to catch this one on cable, either on Sundance channel or IFC, but this was a real fun movie to watch. The two sisters live together and eat lunch together every day, but along comes a new neighbor who moves in next door, and these two are at each other's throats to win the bloke over, before he even unpacks his suitcase! The new guy is a DJ named Ken Sherry, who just moved out to the sticks presumably after losing his job in the big city! And he's as smooth as Barry White on a Saturday night, this DJ, so both of them are captivated and try to do things for him to win him over, like catch him a big stinky fish or cook some crappy rubbish. The main gal, Vicki-Ann Hurley, is played by Rebecca Frith, whom I came to love after watching this, and who I just saw last night in another Aussie film also worth seeing, 'A Man's Gotta Do' (2004). Miranda Otto has top billing though, as the 'not-so'bright' younger sister, Dimity, and is enjoyable to watch as well. These two ladies play off each other well and there are some other nice characters in it that makes this a quirky comedy, fine Aussie entertainment! If you can find this at the video store, snatch it up! 7 out of 10 stars. *******

As a counter to the negative comments elsewhere re this film - I found it extremely funny. Although I should note that I'm from country Australia where this is based - so it's not surprising that people from elsewhere might not appreciate the humour eg. references to the "excitement of Brisbane."

However if you grew up having picnics in windswept Rotary parks, riding about dusty streets and choosing between the ABC and one other channel, this is definitely worth a look. Miranda Otto as Dimity is solid enough, but the character of Ken Sherry makes the film - a reptilian, tai chi following, Hawaiian shirt wearing DJ that will make you cringe with laughter throughout.

I loved this movie. The characters were well-written; the acting was terrific. And the ending was unpredictable (unlike most movies made in the US) and, for me, highly satisfying. It reminded me slightly of Jane Campion's early work, but with a quirky sense of humor. I highly recommend this movie to those who enjoy a good low-key foreign comedy.