Don's Party

Don's Party is a really funny film. It also is a glimpse at how the 60's sexual revolution invaded suburban Australia. The dialogue is taut and sharp, the characters both quirky and realistic, and the setup funny in a tawdry, Blake Edwards kind of way. A fun rental well worth seeing.

A delightfully morose and humorous deconstruction of married life in the wake of the sexual revolution, set in Melbourne on election day 1969. The political aspect to the story is just as insignificant to the film as the election eventually turns out to be for most of these characters. What really concerns and consumes them is how disappointing their marriages, careers and lives as adults have turned out to be. Generally speaking, the guys want to sleep around more, and the gals want to be loved more. And every single one of these couples are locked in a struggle for control over their own and their partner's sexuality. There's an inevitable conflict between the basic human feeling of jealousy and the new morality established by the sexual revolution, claims playwright turned screenwriter David Williamson. A realization that might ring truer for most viewers than they'd care to admit. Which is why it's nice to see these bunch of characters admit it for us, although they don't seem to become any wiser or experienced in the process. Director Bruce Beresford (later of Tender Mercies and Driving Miss Daisy) infuses his film with just the right amount of spite and mockery, but there's also a warmth deep down below which ensures the viewing never becomes unpleasant or hopeless. Don's Party is a valid study of universal, timeless themes which has aged surprisingly well.

True blue hits like this are just cherished treasures. I'll come clean here. Don's Party is my favourite Aussie movie. It's reminds me a little of my Dad's parties, though they weren't as raunchy as this. David Williamson is a one in a million playwright. His plaque should be truly honoured. I don't care how many times, I watch this. Love it, love it, love it. John Hargreaves, the swinging, ("full grown bomb out" as one woman describes him) host, holds this party at the change of the 69 election. Most are swinging labour voters, one woman guest of refinement, is liberal. The others, a raunchy mob of men, don't take too well to this, but will still have a go at her. A much younger stuck up woman, who arrives with a real tight arse is another apple of the older men's, eyes. But there's a younger, 19 year girl who really gets down and dirty. We see one beaver shot, after she's thrown into the neighbour's pool. As a much older, envious woman describes here, "She's a lemon breasted tart". I won't disagree with that. One highlight is Graham's Kennedy's joke, concerning duck hunting while relieving himself of number 2's. Jeanie Drynan, who admittedly, I did have a crush on once, is Hargreaves, long suffering wife, Kath. She admits, this election is just an excuse for a booze up, which Don heavily denies, yet that's exactly what it is. By the way these crass men act, it's hard to believe their occupations. One thing I picked up on, not with my first view, was an original "Good Times" song, that Jimmy Barnes re did in 87. I thought song was a true original. While not finding the movie overly funny, I just love it for it is. Even the barbecue and eating scenes got me hungry. One line that stuck in my head for some reason, as if hearing my Dad, drunk, say it, was the Barrett line "Now shut up, I'm having an argument with your wife" Pause. "Pea brain" He says this to Blundell, the outsider of the party, and the husband to the lady of refinement, before a fracas breaks out between the two. And near the end, with Barrett and Hargeaves, pi..ed as parrots, slumped on beanbags, arguing with their misses, I've seen that scene played over so many times, while being a kid witness to my dad's parties. Priceless script from a great, that transforms well as a movie, and directed of course, by no other than the great Bruce Beresford, who totally gets my seal of approval. Aussie gem.

Don's Party, thankfully, turns more to tears, sex, argument and some painful home truths for this group of Australian suburbanites, in the 1970's. Don uses the General Election results on TV as an excuse to get his mates round, who all have 'interesting' wives.

Like many a similar escapade into the lower echelons of human civility, the sexual innuendos and chauvinism is flowing as fast as the wine and beer and the election results fade from our attention.

It's often hilarious, frequently bitter and with a fair amount of full nudity, male and female, not least of which stems from the "borrowing" of next door neighbour's swimming pool. Bruce Bereford's slinging attack on what everyday people say and do when inhibitions slip is as far a cry from Picnic at Hanging Rock as is possible.

I only use that as a reference because this film is one of the DVDs in my Australian Cinema Collection 12 disc boxed set, as is 'Picnic at...' not because Beresford directed it. Beresford did direct a good number of Australia's most noted films - and not always for their quality, either. However, Don's Party is as good as this sort of adult sex comedy drama gets and could equally be set in the UK, US or indeed, anywhere. It's certainly one of Bruce's best.

Don is holding a party to celebrate the ousting of the hated long standing liberal government in late 60's Australia. What starts as a serious political debate degenerates into your typical drunken fumbling and fighting as the booze flows and high-browed ideas are replaced with attempts to wife swap and skinny dip in the neighbours pool. Some of the funniest moments are when Cooley starts reminiscing about some of his sexual conquests - "When I was 18 i knocked up a 50 year old barmaid in my dad's pub and all she said all night was thank you....THANK YOU!!!" Mack: He once took pity on a woman with a wooden leg. Cooley: She wasn't a bad $£%&....Once you got past the knee cap squeak! All in all a great example of a David Williamson play. Directed by Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant, Driving Miss Daisy)