Housos

Elle Dawe encapsulates the spirit and attitude of Australia in one amazing character. Never seen a women smash a wine bottle over a bogan's head with more vigor and passion. If she doesn't end her career with an Oscar something is wrong.

Then add 20 more cast members who scream every word. And fill every second of every episode wall to wall with all that screaming. Then double that And double it again. Get in a fight with the cops, especially if you're drunk and pregnant. Huff glue, run down a few cops at a DUO chcheckpoint.and in your free time stand around screaming throwing bottles and do random drive bystanders at nothing about nothing. Keep screaming. Every second. I wanted to like this but I don't get it. It's like Gilmore Girls meets Benny Hill on meth with Outrageous Fortune drunk and high and committing felonies while screaming at the top of your lungs.

Paul Fenech, creator of the outrageous Australian comedies Pizza and Swift and Shift Couriers, brings the satirical degenerates of his latest television series Housos- the controversial program that pokes fun at life in the fictional housing commission suburb of Sunnyvale- to the big screen.

The film follows houso Shazza (Elle Dawe) who, upon finding out that her estranged mum is terminally ill, makes the trip to Alice Springs to be with her on her deathbed. After mum passes away, Shazza vows to honour her dying wish by spreading mum's ashes atop Ayers Rock. Along for the ride are dopey de facto Dazza (Jason Davis), father of the year Kev (Kev Taumata), his delusional wife Vanessa (Vanessa Davis) and carefree criminal Franky (Fenech).

To Fenech's credit, not one sector of Australian society escapes mockery in this film. Deadbeat Kiwis, Lebanese wannabes, Aboriginals and even the Prime Minister cop a truckload of amusing, if somewhat overboard, punishment for the stereotype they have assisted in creating.

The comedy never settles on a middle ground, and is instead wildly inconsistent in producing laughs. Funny moments often have the positive effect of taking the viewer by surprise, even if they are overshadowed by the ludicrousity of the scene, while lapses in humour- especially when the cast tries too hard- are painfully uncomfortable.

The entire film feels like overcompensation for a lack of plot and genuine intrigue (screenplay and stylist credits seem a bit rich, since most dialogue contains variations of the F-bomb and everyone looks the same in every scene), but if served with a heavy dose of ticklish friends and bottom-rung expectations, one might even be reluctant to admit how much they enjoyed Housos vs. Authority. By the closing credits, nobody's learnt their lesson and nobody's a better person for the experience…and that's just the way it should be.

*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review.*

Say what you want about this show, but it's fun and does social commentary it's own exaggerating way. Just under stand some parts are supposed to be rude and in your face with high velocity, and that's ok with me. I get it's not for some people and its unapologetic in that way. It's not trying to be anything else than what it is. Even though I compare it to trailer park boys, there are plenty of shows showing the lower class scheming formula.

I could see how a lot of viewers would be utterly appalled by this crude, rude comedy. Full of F words, bongs, debauchery, drugs, dole bludgers, street riots, trashing police cars, burning government buildings...this is normal life in the fictional Sunnyvale. But underneath it all, there is some merit to it. Absolutely everyone is sent up, from Frankie's Maltese background, to pokies loving elderly people, Lebanese mothers in burqas, dwarf bikies, heroin addicts, eastern suburbs TV reporters, inept police, Centrelink staff and Aussie dole bludgers. All these characters are not only sent up, they're often bashed and humiliated. It's not a pretty show, but you can't look away, and there are some genuinely funny scenes. And the show does take risks. Kids, for example, aren't depicted as sweet, rascally moppets. They get tasered, they're left home alone, they're shunted around as part of scams to get the adults more social welfare benefits, or left outside the pub while their parents get drunk. In one episode, a gang of kids sets fire to a neighbour's house. It's not pretty, but many of the plots are not outside the realms of real life possibility. Housos does go totally over the top, often, but it does have some value and it can be really funny.