Fat Pizza

I have visited OZ twice, and was shown the TV series by Aussie friends. As a real sitcom buff, and a taste for anarchy on screen, I took to the show immediately, no that's an understatement, I bloody loved it!

On my return to OZ I looked out for it again, and SBS began to show it and it was as good as I remembered.

I discovered the film, and was very excited to sit and watch it. Unfortunately it just didn't live up to my expectations, and I didn't find it particularly funny. I enjoyed the characters as I always would, but I would have bought a copy to bring home even if I had thought it to be just OK, but the fact that it wasn't worth it says a lot. I am desperate to obtain copies of the series on DVD, but as far as I know they hadn't/haven't made them. This is a great shame as I would love to introduce friends here to the show.

TV Show 10/10 Film 5/10

In this world where we must be politically correct a hundred percent of the time or face court, Fat Pizza is like a breath of fresh air simply because it doesn't go out of its way to not offend anyone. We've all grown tired of films that go out of their way to please everyone and wind up pleasing noone as a result, so here's one that goes out of its way to please noone.

And it winds up pleasing most anyone who has ever lived in a city where there are a lot of people who represent an ethnic minority. Even people from California or New York might relate to it on some level. If you have never been outside of an exclusively Anglo-Saxon community, on the other hand, don't bother.

It has been stated that the film is little more than an extended episode of the television series, and this is true to some extent. However, the cinema format removes a lot of the restraints inherent in television, and as a result, the humour is more unapologetically ethnic, disgusting, and just plain revolting. The Farrelly brothers are complete tryhards in comparison to Paul Fenech and his cohorts. And the refreshing thing is that they truly don't care who they offend, offering absolutely no apologies whatsoever.

Another fun element of Fat Pizza is spotting all of the cameos from minor, or even major, Australian celebrities. Angry Anderson, Red Symons, Kamahl, Elliot Goblet, even Jeff Fenech himself - anyone who has ever been anyone on Australian television is packed in here, and you'll need to watch the film twice just to identify them all. The best part is that they're not taking themselves even remotely seriously.

When Red Symons happily tells the illegal immigrants that "We take bribes", or Kamahl asks us for the zillionth time why people are so unkind, one cannot help but laugh because it is all so utterly irreverent in a time when it should be. Forget about political correctness here - if you want to see Lebanese men acting like utter imbeciles while bikies, Italian gangsters, and bad Ronald McDonald clones give them hell, this is the film you've been waiting for. You will not find a scene where a stoned Anglo pizza delivery boy runs over cyclists and thinking he's scoring points for it in any American film before this one was made, I can garantee that. If you see it in one that was made after mid-2003, I can guarantee that it won't be nearly as funny.

Normally, I would never have considered this film because of its shameless appeal to the lowest common denominator, but it scores big because it represents a much-needed loosening of the collar in this day and age where minor mischief on the part of people who are treated like slaves in our society is treated like a spree of murders. Well done, Paul Fenech - people like you may well be the salvation of this blinkered, speak-no-evil society that none of us who were born in the 1970s or 1980s actually want. Ten out of ten for laughs, but minus two for going just a tiny bit too far at times (and even they were pretty funny because of the loosening up that the rest of the film offers).

"Fat Pizza" showcases some of the great comedic talent that Australia has. While the comedian may not be in the league of those from "Fast Forward" and "Kath & Kim" they certainly know how to entertain - even though it is often crude and politically incorrect.

The film revolves around the workers of a less-than-stellar pizza parlour and the various antics that they get up to, all with hilarious results. Highlights include the owner of the pizza parlour's mail-order bride, an opposition pizza parlour, the sex-crazed Rocky, and Pauly's animal attack.

The actors / comedians all do a good job - Paul French, Paul Nakad, John Boxer, Tahir Bilgic, Jabba, Rob Shehadie, Jo Jo Yee and Maria Venuti are all of note. A warning though, some of the stuff in "Fat Pizza" is just plain gross. Their pizza's may be bigger and cheesier, but that can also be hard to swallow.

It's been said that this movie sets Australian culture back 20 years. Whoever said that (I read it somewhere, but can't remember where) has his/her head in his/her armpit. It's the side of Australian culture outsiders rarely see. Illegal immigrants ARE arriving in leaky boats. Police ARE unfairly targeting ethnic minorities. Fast-food corporations (eg McDoggles) ARE being mean to the little guy (and I don't just mean Pauly). People ARE making speed in their backyards. Backpackers ARE being murdered.

Though I'm sure that, when these things occur in the real world, they are nowhere near as funny as they are in Fat Pizza. This movie is utterly hilarious from beginning to end. Sure, the humour may not be everyone's cup of tea. I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable watching it with my Nanna.

It's unfair to say there is no structure to the plot. There is. Just not a standard one. Which, in this age of Hollywood formula, should be regarded as a good thing. This movie breaks the rules, baby!

If you enjoy watching the Pizza TV show on SBS, you'll have a blast. It's longer, with more jokes and cameos crammed in. A family-size Pizza, if you like.

If I had to choose between Fat Pizza and Kangaroo Jack as a representation of Australian culture, I'd choose Fat Pizza in a second.

There's a plot of sorts about a guy who works at a pizza shop holding a ring for his boss who bought a mail-order bride or something. The plot is just an excuse to string some skits together. Some hilarious, some funny, some awful (the Ronald McDonalds, the baby),. Offending pretty much everyone along the way. VERY un-P.C. which is a good thing. This is based on a TV show I guess (I don't know, I'm not an Aussie, I've never even been in prison). Sure it's juvenile, sophomoric, and obsessed with ass humor, but I'd rather with this than any Ali G. However,it could also have been cut by a good 10 or so minutes and would have been better

My Grade: C+