The Honourable Wally Norman

Glad to see this very witty political satire finally beginning to improve its scores on this site. It's overall shape is definitely familiar, but to see it as just another 'Castle' knockoff totally underestimates it. It's by far the cleverest of all the recent 'Aussie battler' comedies, as a few critics pointed out, and it's by far the best performed, with a great appearance by Kevin Harrington (who I see scored an AFI nomination for Best Actor for this, which is pretty unusual for an Aussie comedy), and Shaun Micallef (who should have won an AFI for his performance). 'The Castle' is funnier overall, but the Micallef political ad is by far the funniest thing in any Australian comedy I can think of. Also, this is the most honestly touching of any Australian comedy I can think of, except perhaps 'The Big Steal' or 'Malcolm', and the scenes between Harrington and his wife, played by Ros Hammond, are lovely. In time, this will be regarded as an Australian classic. It's a bit slow moving in parts, and it could have been funnier, but corrupt Aussie politics has never been taken apart better by an Australian movie, and this is a movie I can watch again and again, just for the great one liners and moments.

I wish I hadn't wasted my $2.99 in the bargain bin at Harvey Norman. I couldn't even finish it. I really wanted to like this film, but it was embarrassingly awful. Sorry. I felt like I had seen it all before - it was like the writers had just taken every old joke they knew out of a book of old and hackneyed jokes and tried to tie them into a script - who were they kidding. The most remarkable thing about this film is that someone actually funded it! And that actors of the calibre of Shaun Micallef and Roy and HG actually agreed to take part. And how on earth did it get to open the Sydney Film Festival?!? Avoid this film at all costs.

This is one of the biggest laughs I had at the movies last year. Like one of the other comments, I can't believe the low score. It's a classic Aussie comedy, with one scene in particular (the Shaun Micallef and Prime Minister ad) that's got to be one of the funniest things in any Australian movie.

Performances are all great, especially Micallef, Kevin Harrington as Wally, HG Nelson, and Tom Budge as Wally's son Normie.

For readers in Australia, the commentary on the DVD is a must: hilarious comments from the director, as well as Micallef, Kevin Harrington and the writers.

See it, and you won't be disappointed.

A film that sets out to make fun of the politicians should be number one at the Australian box office but this really fails- it just isn't funny. The problem lies with the huge number of main characters. It has absolutely no focus and fails to generate the laughs.

Something about this apparently "too good to be true, victory for the battlers" made me realize how much I hate the cynical reviewer who might deny us its brilliance and good humored trip to the public bar. Its not "the Castle" but its deeper and more deadly in its comedic twists .Our 18 YO loved it. Comments from the participants (on the DVD) tell it all- an opportunity to say a lot of things and say them well .Its a classic in the funny serious Aussie tradition of great films. Sure the elements are understated( and the frame a bit small) but this is us ; If it doesn't bring us all back to where we found home,anyone of three fair go blokes show us how it can happen. Can't recommend it highly enough. Mate ship is not only in the script, its in the actors and the stage atmosphere as they work to make this more than the many trite "shy bloke does good " stories we have seen .Its almost like some of these people are playing themselves . Kevin Harrington is brilliant and Ted Emery's flair adds spades to a great rural story (That deserves wide appeal) our 1