Le plombier

In Australia, anthropologist housewife and thesis writer Judy Morris (as Jill) is startled when grungy plumber Ivar Kants (as Max) arrives unannounced, for a routine check into her bathroom's plumbing. Singing as he helps himself in her shower, Mr. Kants tells Ms. Morris her pipes are bad, and need replacing. "The Plumber" becomes a menacing presence in Morris' apartment, but neither husband Robert Coleby (as Brian Cowper) nor best friend Candy Raymond (as Meg) sees any danger. They think Morris is overreacting. Is Kants a convicted rapist, or a budding Bob Dylan singing "It's Me, Babe"? Written and directed by Peter Weir as a cheap TV movie, "The Plumber" is a hilarious take-off on horror, class and culture.

******** The Plumber (6/8/79) Peter Weir ~ Ivar Kants, Judy Morris, Robert Coleby, Candy Raymond

I found my copy of "The Plumber" at a yard sale.

I have this silly habit of renting or buying what appear to be low-budget, very campy, or exploitive features to enjoy a good laugh or perhaps spot a popular celebrity paying their dues in the early days of their career. To those degrees, I was a little disappointed with The Plumber (although the low-budget part appears to be true).

I fully expected a "slasher-fest" and screams galore. Instead, The Plumber is about a doctor's wife left alone in the company of an annoying fellow (perhaps a plumber, perhaps not) who proceeds to annoy the hell out of her for the duration of the movie. I agree with the previous reviewer that this theme was duplicated later in "The Cable Guy" with Jim Carey. This bloke is dying for someone to either impress or simply alleviate the loneliness in his life. In the end, we're not sure if he's getting what he deserved or we should feel sorry for him. Indeed, this was a story of psychology, and how we may react in a similar situation.

It's possible I may watch this one again one day, but it's not a movie I would keep with my favorites. Still, it's funny, a little creepy, and definitely worth the 50¢ I paid at that yard sale :)

Peter Weir shows how a good film can be made from a solid script and very little money.

A student of anthropology attempts to understand aboriginal tribes, but is completely baffled by the cultural chasm that separates her post-graduate sensibilities from the working-class plumber who is sent to work on her apartment. Is he malicious or misunderstood? The script is delightfully ambiguous.

A little low-budget gem.

This obscure Peter Weir TV movie from the late 1970s is a little dated, but still very entertaining and suspenseful. The three main actors (Judy Morris, Ivor Kants and Robert Coleby) aren't exactly household names here in Australia but will be familiar to most TV viewers over the age of 30 for their roles in various soap operas and the like. All three are excellent here in what could be their best work. Morris and Coleby play married academics. Coleby is distracted and concerned about an exciting career opportunity, Morris is currently working at home engrossed in her studies of New Guinea culture, and is timid and less confident socially than her husband. One day the plumber (Kants) arrives at their flat, and from then on her life will never be the same again. Kants is charming but rough, and very odd. A Dylanesque folk singer with a "Liberals = less tax" message on the back of his jacket (Non-Australians note the Liberal Party is our equivalent of the Republicans in the US or Conservative Party in Britain), he plays mind games with Morris, who becomes increasingly uncomfortable, and ultimately terrorized. Weir keeps things quite ambiguous and we never really know whether Kants is a dangerous psychopath or just the biggest pain-in-the-arse you could ever wish not to meet. I enjoyed 'The Plumber' a lot, it's a very effective low-budget, low key thriller shot through with plenty of black humour.

Search for any kind of movie in the video stores and you'll discover that somebody had to accomplish something in the motion picture industry. THE PLUMBER is the perfect example, coming from a man who may win special honors for THE TRUMAN SHOW. Calling it a horror movie is an exaggeration on its own, but the plot is nerve-tingling as a plumber disrupts an Aussie woman's life through his wild behavior. It all adds to the panic of suspense. To make a political statement about this film, it shows that social and moral values decay in this global community we live and breathe by. Peter Weir must be given a big hand on his films, and this one needs not to be left behind in the abyss of forgotten movies.