The Merger

At first it didn't have huge expectations about this movie. David Callinan was one of my favourite comedians growing (Loved Skithouse) so that was the main reason why I wanted to see this movie. As a person who loves Country Footy, this movie kicked a lot of goals close to my heart. From the killer local community nicknames like Porterhouse,Sheepy, Carpert Burn etc... to saving the club by recruiting refugees to their side.

Set in a small country town in New South Wales, the zeitgeist is a familiar one to many Australians who live in declining rural areas. The timber mill has been closed, people are leaving and the footy club can't get enough players to keep fielding a team. Added to the mix are a range of newly arrived refugees. Many in the community see them as a responsibility and a resource but others are less welcoming.

The title of the film refers to a plan to combine with another local footy team but the story told is of an alternative which is to teach the newcomers to play Aussie rules. The story is told mostly through the eyes of 10 year old Neil, a budding film maker who lost his Dad in a motorcycle accident. Young Neil decides to make a documentary about the local loner, Troy Carrington, who was once a footy star but whose conservationist tendencies have made him an outcast. It has to remind us of the way young Dale Kerrigan (Stephen Curry) told the story of his Dad's heroic attempts to save the family home from compulsory acquisition in The Castle.

The Merger combines the fortunes of the footy team and the interaction of the locals with the newcomers with a romantic thread and a subtle exploration of grief for the loss of loved ones. It captures the regional background in a clever way as it shows different reactions to change. From the opening frames it looks fantastic.

There are lots of wonderful characters too, in particular the young lad played by Rafferty Grierson and his mother played by the winning Kate Mulvany (a Patricia Arquette lookalike). The maestro here though is beloved stand-up comedian Damian Callinan who wrote the script and plays the central character, Troy. Callinan is now an undisputed Aussie legend.

Like The Castle (Australia's #1 loved film), The Merger is quintessentially Australian with a heart-warming universal trajectory, cajoling the audience along on a steady stream of endearing, wry humour, definitely not coarse or broad but often laugh-out-loud. The soundtrack of stellar Australian musicians including rousing songs from Daddy Cool, Paul Kelly, Archie Roach and more is a match for the other brilliant elements.

The Merger is an instant Aussie classic that will do a power of good, not just for audience members but by gently prodding the national psyche of refugee averse Australia. There's many a touching moment, too with plenty of scope for a sob if you are so inclined.

Andrew Bunney Three D radio Let's Go To The Pictures

Really enjoyed this Aussie Film. Sprinkles Hope into the small rural town where it is set and to my heart. Plenty of laughs and the content that brought the town together, creating open minds of locals and the refugee community was extremely touching.

Has a huge heart behind it. Great messages about tolerance and community.

As Australian as a hot meat pie and a pair of well-worn thongs, The Merger is a quintessential ocker production but one also with a heart and message that will resonate with viewers of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds, making this local yarn a genuine winner.

Based on its lead actor and screenwriter Damian Callinan's well regarded one man show of the same name, audience's won't be overly surprised by where The Merger's plot line of underdogs up against the odds takes them but that matters little when there's so much heart and soul on display in Mark Grentell's film, along with a winning collection of character's that fittingly take the leap from stage to screen.

Taking place in the fictional small country town of Bodgy Creek and focusing around the struggling Bodgy Creek Australian Rules Football club The Rooster's, whose demolished asbestos ridden club rooms are the least of the clubs worries, The Merger nails small town mentality and the key role sport plays in these communities, as Callinan's retired AFL player Troy Carrington takes over the coaching reigns and embraces the towns refugee community to ensure the football club can field a competitive team.

Through this story The Merger crafts a truly loveable ensemble as Callinan is flanked by a fun and well-structured entourage of supporting players from John Howard's grizzled old town mainstay and refugee hater Bull Barlow, Kate Mulvany's determined single mother Angie Barlow and her son Neil (played promisingly by relative newcomer Rafferty Grierson) and then the rag tag makeshift Rooster player's who get the films best laughs and most heartfelt moments.

It's within this aspect that The Merger will surprise unsuspecting audiences, as what might initially seem like a stereotypical Australian sports comedy filled with scenes at the local pub or creative swearing becomes much more, as Callinan and Grentell shine a light on the oft hidden underbelly of Australian's intolerance towards those they don't understand and cultures that are foreign to theirs.

While still telling an often hilariously on point story of the Roosters and their playing roster that includes such gems as Porterhouse the local chef or Snapper the entrepreneur, The Merger brings in supporting characters like Fayssal Bazzi's Syrian refugee Sayyid, Harry Tseng's Taiwanese Tou Pou or Francis Kamara's African Didier and with that, a flavoursome and culturally rich tale of acceptance, friendship and mime football emerges.

Final Say -

A future Australian favourite that will become a mainstay of lounge-room viewing in the years to come, The Merger is a little film with a big heart and one of the most loveable Aussie comedies of the last few year's.

4 sweet n sour chicken kievs out of 5