Il matrimonio è un affare di famiglia

This is a very annoying film. It could have been excellent but instead it is just adequate. There's a lot to like about it, the major plus being Brenda Blethyn's performance. Always a joy to watch as the woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown, she steals the show once again with her quivering bottom lip and comic timing, but we have seen a very similar performance from her in Secrets & Lies, albeit with less variation. Be careful Brenda! You're at risk of getting typecast. The biggest problems with the film relate to the script (underdeveloped, meandering, loose ends) and the two young leads whose performances are uneven, and that's being especially kind to Khan Chittenden who is no leading man. The other problem is this is formulaic in the Sundance way - family drama, quirky characters, conflict, joy, sadness and humor - not traits that are in themselves bad at all, but in this cinematic combination they come together and make it seem contrived, overly constructed and quite predictable. Is it still a decent film? Yes, if you can get past the first half hour which is very unpromising, but it's a wasted opportunity too.

This film is about a middle aged woman, who goes through life changes in her career and her family structure.

"Clubland" can hardly be described as a comedy. I did not find it a tiny bit funny. Not even the deliberate and contrived plot of Jeannie being a comedian could save it. It's simply not fun to watch Jeannie making everyone's lives miserable. The ending is rather bad, as Jeannie makes a complete change of heart for no apparent reason.

I must say Brenda Blethyn is good, and Emma Booth is really beautiful. However, these strengths are not enough to save "Clubland" from being a complete bore.

This film meanders around for too long. It isn't funny enough or moving enough to overcome it's clichéd nature. It's a standard coming of age affair with some romance thrown in. There are a few laughs, but not enough to keep the film afloat. The leads are all reasonable, but in the end the banal material and predictable climax overcomes the qualities of the actors. Surely the Australian Film Finance Corporation can do better than this? Perhaps it looked better on paper. On the plus side Richard Wilson does a stand out job as a retarded young man. The two young romantic leads are both very attractive and have a few good moments together, but again, not enough to bring the mediocre script to life.

This movie is fast disappearing from cinemas, which is a pity, as it is an authentic Australian drama of some substance. Show biz personalities are notoriously lacking in self-confidence, unsuccessful ones even more so. Yet like the lead player here, they still tenaciously cherish the dream of making the big time against all the indications. Jean (Brenda Blethyn) is a British comedienne of the "nudge nudge, wink wink" variety who once appeared with the likes of Benny Hill, but who gave up her career to marry John (Frankie J Holden) an Australian crooner of country music. The marriage produces the brain damaged Mark (Richard Wilson) and shy younger son Tim (Khan Chittenden). John, reduced to being a security guard at a supermarket, moves out and Jean puts in long days at a works canteen to support her family while still trying to resuscitate her stage career with the aid of her sleazy manager Shane. These distractions do not prevent her from being very possessive of her babies and when 20 year old Tim becomes involved with the uninhibited Jill (Emma Booth) Jean's hackles rise.

Perhaps if Jean displayed some real talent as a comedienne it would make up for the fact that she is actually not a very nice person. As it is, it's hard to feel sorry for her. Brenda Blethyn plays her all stops out, which is what the part requires, but it does verge on caricature. The rest of the cast are OK, with Emma Booth very appealing as the free-spirited Jill, but rather overshadowed by Brenda's Queen Lear (or perhaps it should be Queen Leer) act.

The western suburbs of Sydney setting is well realised and one can almost smell those smoky leagues clubs where clapped-out British entertainers go to die. One reviewer has perceptively remarked that the movie is about letting go – of your impossible dreams, of your children now they no longer depend on you. In Jean's case her personality and circumstances have combined to make this exceptionally difficult, and it is this that provides the drama. Keith Thompson is a veteran TV writer with a good ear for the Aussie vernacular and he draws his characters from life. The romance between the shy Tim and bold Jill is a pleasant contrast to Jean's fulminations, but Khan Chittenden under-acts a bit. Rebecca Gibney, usually a glamour-puss, is amusing as one of Jean's permanently sloshed friends.

If this was a made for TV piece, the critics would praise it to the skies, but as it is, it's just a decent drama. Watching it I wondered how Julie Walters or Anne Reid would have gone as Jean. Brenda Blethyn is a fine actress, but on this occasion the volume was turned up too loud.

I've seen quite a few indie films in my times. This one, "Introducing the Dwights" is a remarkable piece of work. Here you have a woman who's divorced, raising two sons: One is painfully shy around girls, the other who has special needs. The shy one named Tim, drives a moving van in Austrailia meets two lovely ladies: Kelly and Jill. Jill(Emma Booth) takes notice of Tim(Khan Chittenden) who clumsily approaches her. The sexual advances are making him awkward, and he later realizes he needs to put his past experience behind him. His mother works for a canteen during the day, but at night, she's a big hit at a local comedy club. She happens to be in a slump, because she's stuck in the day, and in serious need of reinventing herself. Both of her son have a certain someone. Tim's brother knows about Jill, and he's happy for him. Jill and Tim intimacy grows deeper and deeper by the minute. Looks like he's got him a soul-mate he can feel good about. A very good movie, great cast, and a great assortment of soundtracks to make it worthwhile. Don't care what the title is, I just love it!

4 out of 5 stars!