Palm Beach

My Review- Palm Beach 6/10

I wish this Australian movie success just because I support our film industry but it wasn't my cuppa tea at all.

It's set of course in one of the most beautiful beach side settings in Australia so it looks splendid but I just couldn't warm to any of these spoiled self indulgent Nouveau riche characters.

The saying house guests are like fish , they go off after 2 days is more than true with these characters , they went off for me about half an hour in to the story and began to wish for a Tsunami to whisk them away. Especially Richard E Grant as Billy an insipid , sarcastic failed musician who taunts the host and mocks his wife.

All the stereotypes of dysfunctional family characters are on display in Palm Beach , the ageing actress , the dutiful but unhappy wife , the spoiled indulged adult children and all the men are in crisis of some sort or another.

The acting is good, the setting is delightful the script is ok but one particular scene involving a chimney demolition and the underlying tension involving DNA identification left me at the end thinking I really dislike these people .

I much preferred meeting The Fockers , at least they were interesting but perhaps unlike me you may enjoy it .

I just thought it was like an enticing chocolate wrapped in gold foil but when eaten, a little bitter and disappointing.

Enjoyed this movie more than I expected, such great views and family secrets to keep the pot boiling so to speak

I did not see this movie in a theatre but on TV. And whilst some of the reviewers did not like it all, because it was all about wealthy sixty odd people. But I enjoyed it and as I know that Bryan Brown and Sam Neill are good mates, I wasn't disappointed. It was a great cast to see all together and although the story was bit obvious, i enjoyed it. Very typical Australian lifestyle !!

Sure this has been done before, most notably The Big Chill, but this was a refreshing Aussie version. The cast was distinguished and they all contributed to a satisfying and entertaining movie. The plot of old friends getting together over an extended weekend in a beautiful part of the world and then years of dramas in the group bubbling to the surface is not new, but this treatment worked. I enjoyed the revelations and must admit they were sometimes unexpected. The locale was spectacular and I can see why it was supported by NSW tourism. All told I'm glad I saw it. Well done to the team.

10 out of 10 for the cinematography and production design. I love my films to look like tourism commercials, and we don't do enough of that in Australian cinema.

But as a thirtysomething female, the content of this film really irritated me. It's a bit hard to watch a bunch of privileged, egotistical, white male baby boomers sip Dom Perignon in a Palm Beach mansion and lament about their "real-life problems" - even if it is somebody's birthday!

I'm reminded enough of this generation wealth and health gap going to work everyday; this isn't something I want to watch on the big screen too.

Having said that, if you are an older male, then finally someone has made a film for you. There have been a string of films like this for the over 60s women, now men it's your turn!

You can not fault the actual film making, everything is beautiful, and I want to support Australian film, I'm just the wrong target-market.