Casa dolce casa

The plot is very standard, predictable fare, and frankly, from what I'd heard through word of mouth, I was afraid that this would be a MIRAMAX formula feel good picture like "The Full Monty", or "Little Voice". Well, I'm very glad to be able to say that it isn't. This is the real thing, and it is the character of the family, all their quirks, and the small touches that makes this a great comedy. I have no doubt this will be a film that I'll revisit again and again. How many films do you see that, the next day a number of lines, and bits still playback in your head? If you like films like "This Is Spinal Tap", and the other Christopher Guest films, and like characters from "Fargo", I'd recommend "The Castle". It's a charming little gem.

The Kerrigan family live in a top property at the end of an airport runway. Dad has endless projects round the house and often stands in proud amazement at the size of his aerial, the hole that his son dug or some of the ideas his middle son has had. Mum is a great cook that can do a sponge cake as easy as seasoned chicken. Wayne is in prison, Steve is an apprentice mechanic and an ideas man, while Dale is just plain happy with his simple family life. However, when a compulsory purchase order comes through the post, the family find that they are being forced to sell up to make room for an extension of the airport.

Shot in less than two weeks because that is all they could afford to do, this comedy is a delightfully gentle comedy that draws laughs from the Kerrigan family but balances it perfectly so that we still like them. This is not as easy as it sounds because, in UK parlance, the Kerrigan's are "chavs" and are very simple people, they admire things that many of us would dislike (living below planes and beside pylons) and they are not the brightest in the world. In essence they are the "typical" Australian working class family and Darryl is the classic Aussie battler. The plot is simple and, although it is fairly obvious where it is going and isn't ever that dramatic, the story is gently engaging and pleasing. The laughs are gentle but consistent and show a real good touch in the writing – taking "normal" eccentricities and exaggerating just enough to be funny but not to the point where it is absurd. It is hard to describe but basically give it five minutes – you'll either get it or you won't and, if you don't, then don't bother with it because it is the same from the start onwards.

The direction is a bit rough and ready but that does suit the material – as does the cast. Caton is enjoyable and fits the bill spot on. Tenney has a smaller role but does it well; likewise Simcoe, Hope and a pre-Hollywood Bana. Narration is good from Curry and the majority of the cast play their material well considering the real time pressure they must have been under. One bit of trivia that illustrates the constraints in making this film is that the family name "Kerrigan" was selected because the tow trucks used for the film already had that name painted on them, so it saved costs to change the script rather than change the paint job.

Overall this was a delightfully amusing film with not a single harsh or cruel line in the whole thing. It may make fun of the Kerrigan family but it does it in an affectionate manner that is consistently funny without being a real belly-laugh fest. A perfectly entertaining family film that doesn't appear to have been damaged or compromised by the rushed shoot or the tiny budget.

This is a shocking movie. Shocking in the sense that it's centered around a family that genuinely loves each other. It came across as such an odd concept in this day and age that I thought at first that there must be a catch - could the family be cannibals? Zombies? A cult of pagan jaywalkers? But no, they were simply a "family" in absolutely the best sense of the word. The conflict of the movie arises from the fact that the airport bordering their loving home wants to expand and uses some Australian law that grants them the right to buy out their neighbors without the neighbors having any sayso in the matter. Well this just won't do and so the plot is set into motion when the quirky homeowner decides to fight the ruling with his reluctant friend, a probate attorney who is woefully unprepared to take on the big guns in law, but who nonetheless feels obligated to help his friends no matter what the obstacle. Overall the movie has such charm, such style and such love that, by films end, you want to be adopted by the family, quirks and all. An excellent movie.

I loved this movie! My family loved it. My friends loved it. My co-workers loved it. Even though none of us have ever been to Australia we somehow all managed to understand about 99% of the humor in this very funny and lovable film. As perplexing as this may seem to some of the Americans who didn't like it, or give it half a chance, one only needs a rudimentary knowledge of Australian culture or a modicum of intelligence about life outside the US to enjoy The Castle.

Yes, the Kerrigans are tacky. Yes, they are not the brightest people on God's earth. And no one is going to accuse Darryl Kerrigan of having an eye for real estate. But they are decent folk who look out for one another and their friends, and for this reason we come to root for them. Refreshingly, the movie gets big laughs from its quirky characters and not from crude sight gags like some movies I could mention.

Who cares if it didn't play well in the States? "This is Spinal Tap" didn't do well at the box office either, and it's one of the funniest films ever made. "The Castle", for me, goes down as one of the funniest films of the 1990's.

"How much do jousting sticks go for, Dad? Not more than 250."

Of all the excellent comedies the vastly underrated Australian film industry makes, this is the only one which I insist that every single friend I make from overseas must watch.

This is the quintessential Aussie film - a simple story about a family trying to keep things the way they are, not afraid to have a go at those in power who think they would like to "develop" these people. It's brilliant.

Basic plot: The Kerrigan household is a happy one, but a knock on the door one day changes that. Faced with a compulsory acquisition notice, the family's patriarch decides to take on the system, and to prove for once and for all that a man's home is his castle.

The jokes are funny, but are very Aussie-centric. I'm really surprised at the amount of positive feedback in these reviews from non Aussies, I've always felt that this is one movie which requires a 'native speakin' translator' if you are to get all the jokes! (And tend to recommend overseas folk watch The Dish, made by the same film team but is far more accessible and wider in scope than the very narrowly aimed Castle, which is really just driven by Australian humour, language and colloquialisms).

A true gem, very vibrant movie. For anyone who grew up in a similar location (not next to an airport, but in a 'bogan', working class suburb or small town) it will remind you of so many things you saw as a child. Profanity? Get over it, that's how we talk!