Griff the Invisible

People see the world through different windows. Most of us see the everyday stark reality of work, home, and family. A few people see things a bit more unusually. On the surface, Griff (Ryan Kwanten) leads an unassuming and mundane life. He has a job as a shipping liaison in a cramped cubicle, he does not enjoy talking to people, and he seems to hide even when he is walking on the street. Because of Griff's social ineptitude, he is a magnet for bullies. There is a bully at work who singles out Griff for torment and even Griff's brother Tim (Patrick Brammall) makes Griff feel uncomfortable with his overbearing manner.

Griff has a secret though. There is a reason he chooses not to have any friends and only works rote office jobs. He is a superhero. At night, he scans the streets with a telescope and a bank of computers from his apartment searching out ruffians intent on harming neighborhood women. The police commissioner will call him with tips and thanks for a job well done. To keep his superhero costume in working order and incorporate new technologies, Griff visits a local hardware store and always warns the cashier to forget he was ever there.

Melody (Maeve Dermody) also has a secret. She realizes that since there is so much space between the atoms in our bodies and the atoms in walls that if she aligns herself just right, she can walk through walls. She happens across Griff and is mesmerized. Here is a kindred spirit. Melody cannot stand the workaday men who fancy her because they see the world as it really is. Griff, on the other hand, does not see hardly any reality and this strikes Melody as the most wonderful thing she has ever seen.

The story and interactions between aloof Griff and curious Melody work. They have a special conversational style and truly understand one another. When they are on screen together, the film works. Unfortunately, when they are apart and it is just Griff and his superhero activities, the film is a complete mess. Griff is really not a very interesting character when it is just him in his apartment trying out new superhero ideas. Melody is the character the audience cares about and wants to watch, so whenever she is off screen, you spend that time just waiting for her to reappear.

First film we saw of the TIFF 2010 season and a great start it was. Very engaging movie with great acting that makes the viewer wonder at times if the unbelievable really might be plausible. There were lots of laughs (and, according to the director - an affable chap, mostly in the right places) as well as many poignant moments, which all flowed together into a satisfying conclusion. Absolutely worth seeing and superior to the spate of would-be superhero movies making movie theater rounds the last few years. Ryan Kwanten, as Griff, quickly draws the audience to his side through his earnest belief in his cause and has them rooting for him and his mission. Maeve Dermody gives a sense of otherworldliness to the character of Melody; she is strange and adorable. An office bully and a well meaning brother thrown into the mix make the duties of this superhero harder than necessary.

Griff is a meek customer service client by day, lion-hearted, troubled superhero by night. What are the right words to reassure victims but put fear in the hearts of criminals. What is the right look for a super suit? What are the right weapons for fighting crime. What is the line between stalking and neighbourhood watch. Are super powers something that you can invent by believing in yourself or by others believing in you. Griff's DIY approach to the modern superhero is challenged by meeting a woman of equal imagination, vision and determination. A funny and smart film with great chemistry, top secret package delivery, and real imaginary special effects. Because the problems of invisibility require special solutions.

Leon Ford's "Griff the Invisible," Australia's answer to the superheroes-in-the-real-world approach popular in the United States, is an interesting little low-budget romantic comedy masquerading as a superhero flick. Some people may be turned off by the apparent lack of superhero action in this film, but as the ending of "Griff the Invisible" proves, it's the "reality" of what goes on that counts.

Griff (Ryan Kwanten) is a socially awkward office employee by day, and a not-so-anonymous superhero called "Griff" by night. He prowls the streets of his local neighborhood fighting crime. At the office, he's the target of the office bully, and Griff takes to sneaking in the office at night to set up booby traps to pull off the next day.

Griff's older brother Tim (Patrick Brammall) has recently begun dating the equally socially awkward Melody (Maeve Dermody). Melody is a budding young scientist obsessed with trying to unlock the secrets to inter-dimensional travel. In Griff, she finds a kindred spirit, which proves problematic for her current relationship with his brother.

"Griff the Invisible" is a competently acted little superhero film. One thing that may kill the experience, however, is a third-act twist that lends further credence to a commonly-held belief about the supposed mental instability of people who try to be real-life superheroes. This is unfortunate, because it's firmly established that Griff is far from "normal," but we seem to sympathize him, his relationship with Melody and his mission to save the world, but we also understand that there is nothing wrong with being "weird." Griff and Melody are perfect for each other because they're so "weird" and don't have to worry about being "normal" (like everybody else).

"Griff the Invisible" takes the whole superheroes-in-the-real-world to a level not previously seen in other films dealing with the subject (like "Kick-Ass" or "Super"). It's a flawed movie, but don't let its flaws kill your enjoyment of it.

7/10

Last I checked, police cars we're still burning fossil fuels and stuck on planet earth, while imagination take us anywhere. This movie made it enjoyable to share the character's blurred line between imagination and reality, to fight crime and do amazing things.

Totally clean humor fun. Glad I paid attention to details that make it LOL funny numerous times, both at the characters and myself.

Nothing at all like other recent similarly framed films.

With surprises along the way, Griff is a refreshing a dash of fantasy science fiction, with a focus that reminds me that innovation starts with imagination - portrayed in a simple way that brings it all down to earth.

Though there was heartbreak, it ended perfectly; plus an extra star for appreciating kitties.