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.

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.

Palm Beach, which premiered as the opening film of this year's Sydney Film Festival, tells the story of a group of good friends who have a few secrets. Those secrets are bound to surface at some point. Why not do it while celebrating a birthday?

Director Rachel Ward co-wrote the story with Joanna Murray-Smith, which tackles some ethical predicaments and feelings that get repressed with (expected) catastrophic consequences. Every year we get a similar scenario presented to us on television or even on the big screen, so why do we keep making these films? The difference with Palm Beach, is that I couldn't sympathise with any of these characters. Rich white people having rich white people problems - can't relate.

That doesn't mean these stories aren't allowed to have a platform to be told, everyone wants to escape their daily life at some point and peek through a window to see what happens behind closed doors. The film takes place in the titular Sydney suburb - blue skies and crystal clear waves everywhere you look. Three members of our group of friends (Bryan Brown, Sam Neil and Richard E. Grant), used to form the band Pacific Sideburns. Their partners and children are also present and ready for a weekend of beachy tranquility.

The evening our friends arrive at Frank (Brown) and his wife Charlotte's (Greta Scacchi) house, Leo (Neill) mentions to Charlotte the pact they formed a very long time ago. Not entirely clear why he recalls this pact so suddenly, this causes the amicable vibe in the house to rise with a few degrees and everyone seems to be feeling this tension. This secretive pact lingers in the background while everyone passes their days behind luscious cheese boards and champagne by the crate, in and around Frank and Charlotte's lush hilltop habitat with panoramic view. A panoramic view ruined by a chimney, which becomes a daily discussion topic that drives Frank to his boiling point.

Cinematographer Bonnie Elliott does a great job showing off the beautiful beaches of Sydney and the nighttime scenes, but when it comes to garden gatherings it all looks a little bit too much like a commercial of some kind. The glossiness makes it look like as if some scenes were shot on an indoor-set, while I'm pretty sure this wasn't her intention. Nonetheless, a great effort that lifted the film to a higher level.

The problems these characters face are nothing but drama on the surface while being comfortable in their day-to-day life - shallow and smug. But like I said before, why tell a story that has been told in different forms many times before, if there isn't a character to relate with or feel sympathy for? The cast does a great job though. There wasn't a single person that I could point out as being a bad actor, neither was there a performance considered to be scene-stealing.

Going in with low expectations, I thought the first half was more interesting than the second. Clocking in at 100 minutes, the film feels a lot longer and without any real stakes, there's no satisfying ending to look forward to. Palm Beach is a film without a purpose and could easily be dropped on a streaming platform, to attract a bigger audience or people wanting to check it out without paying extra for it.

Not being aux fait with a lot of the 'tall poppy' reviews, whatever that means, but I found it ok to watch. It didn't tax the brain, and sometimes thats whats needed with a cuppa and biscuit.

One gripe, was trying to figure out which child belonged to which couple, with clearly adult and small kids alike. I hadn't realised Matilda Brown was an 'offspring' until read it on here.

I wondered if Greta Scacchi had been ill, due to the weight increase and 'puffy' face, but then realised her age - 60 !!! how did that happen ??? so like many of us we all have to succumb to the inevitable. Still a beauty though ! Its barely yesterday since I watched her in White Mischief and Presumed Innocent.

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 !!