Estranha Amizade

I avoided seeing Strange Bedfellows at the cinema after reading a couple of less than favourable reviews, so it was with some trepidation that I hired the DVD, however it is wonderful! As a gay man I was terrified the film would fall into gay bashing and ridicule and whilst there are some strong stereotypes represented the overall charm and message of the film is delightful. Michael Caton is terrific as Ralph, a simple mechanic from small town Australian. Ralph is the type of bloke we all want as our uncle. Honest, dependable and while a bit conservative, a man with a heart of gold. Paul Hogan (forgive me all you Hogan haters) is wonderful! I can't believe I'm saying this but the man many of us have grown to hate gives a lovely performance as Vince, the local cinema owner. 'Hoges' surprisingly gives the film real heart and shows a vulnerability I haven't seen him show before in his other work. I won't go through the story points again, other than saying Strange Bedfellows is a hilarious, grossly underrated Aussie movie and one that I'm sure will find a very loyal audience from straight, gay, lesbian, transgender movie lovers who will see this film in the spirit the filmmakers obviously made it to be. Good luck to it!

Forget Chuck and Larry. When you have Ralph and Vince, you have it all. These two made for some of the funniest comedy I have seen out of Australia.

Vince (Paul Hogan) has tax problems and the Australian government has just passed a law that allows same-sex couples a tax break - and it's retroactive. Scheming to save his arse, Vince convinces his best mate Ralph (Michael Caton) to pretend to be a same-sex couple to get the break.

Laughs ensue as they try to hide their secret from the local town folk, and get ready for an audit to prove they are actually gay. They enlist the help of the only know gay in town, predictable the hairdresser, and find out a clever secret he has been hiding. He helps them, and they go to Sidney to immerse themselves in gay culture before the tax man cometh.

While this is going on, Ralph's daughter is coming for a visit to introduce her partner. Everything comes together at the Fireman's Ball with Ralph and Vince, the whole town, the hairdresser, and a select few from Sydney, and, oh yes, Ralph's daughter and partner coming together.

Great fun!

Synopsis: A fictional and unlikely Australian Tax law has recently passed which allows all bona fide couples (including same-sex) to be treated with equity. In a small country town two good mates (men friends) have claimed desperately needed tax-relief and now must convince a Tax Inspector of their status, while trying to avoid creating a scandal in their close-knit community.

Comments: Strange Bedfellows is surprisingly enjoyable and rewarding. `Surprising' because I had dreaded that somehow Paul Hogan would stuff it up, but he does very well indeed as Vince, a man who hasn't ever fancied another man and really doesn't know where to begin. Michael Caton's Ralph is just as inexperienced in relating sexually to men, but hints at being more open to the possibility (though NEVER with Vince).

There are plenty of genuine laughs for gay & straight alike (though not always at the same time), and a rather high cringe factor in a few scenes - especially when the men are sampling `gay culture' during a whirlwind visit to Sydney.

Strange Bedfellows has it's heart in the right place, is decidedly LGBT friendly and has the same Australian cultural authenticity that made "The Castle" work so well. Of course the same strong element is shared here in the undeniably unique acting talent of Michael Caton.

This is a warmly entertaining film about the value of love and friendship. It probably qualifies as being a romantic comedy - but when Vince and Ralph share sweet memories about each other with the Tax Man you'll find there is no love lost. (8/10)

If you are looking for a gentle comedy with a warm, feel good underbelly, this is it.

Although I am a fan of the three lead actors in the film (Paul Hogan, Michael Caton and Pete Postlethwaite), I confess that before the film began I was slightly anxious that this would be a bit of a toe-curling cringe-making event that relied on wheeling out cardboard character stereotypes and putting them in lots of unbelievable 'not going to happen' silly scenarios. I was very pleasantly surprised. There are certainly some moments when I almost cringed a little too more than you are supposed to as part of the comedy but in my view the blanket of warmth running through this film carried them off.

The lead characters are backed up very well by some fine supporting performances. In particular, I liked the parts played by the hairdresser and the straight 'pub' and gay 'club' mates.

In terms of criticism, I think the script could have been a bit stronger in places and, in some parts, you have to disable your cynicism sensors when looking at the leads' very old-fashioned notions of how they think they should act to blend in as 'gay people' (but then I suppose this could fly on account of their country upbringing/lack of exposure - no offence to country folk meant here).

I would not quite rate this film as a classic in the sense that "The Full Monty" may have been, but as with that movie, I did feel quite a bit happier from the experience of watching it. If you are in the right mood for this film, you will find it very enjoyable.

This is the funniest movie I've seen come out of Australia. It has a laid back sense of humour that you don't see too often. It's got a great location. Funny jokes without being in bad taste. The two leads Paul Hogan and Michael Caton are a great pairing. The support cast does the job well.

The movies has great scenery and the movie flows well, not one scene is wasted. The humour flows throughout and it's not a one joke movie. Accessable to all ages. This is the best work Paul Hogan has done since Crocodile Dundee and is ironic that this famous Australian seems to do his best work when he makes Australian films in Australia.