Weekend with Kate

The next time you watch this film be sure to check out the stock footage used in this film for the audience at the rock concert.

The Kiss banner is a dead giveaway.

Other than that it's a very dated flick.

Rather stylish low budget romantic comedy set on the far northern beaches of Sydney's fabulous coastline. Palm Beach is the strip of seaside famous for it's wealth and lifestyle and WEEKEND WITH KATE plants itself there for some good looking entanglements. Handsome cast members Colin Friels and Jerome Erhlers play well opposite paramour Catherine McClements and locally all three are well known for both stage and television roles. KATE looks good on a movie screen and in its initial run was quite well received. Oz film makers don't do the romantic comedy movie very often and this one succeeds well enough to be a surprise. It has not been on TV for ten years and I have never seen it on DVD, so a reappearance could be welcome. WEEKEND WITH KATE is quite enjoyable in it's sparkling way. Another Oz film of a similar theme is LUCKY BREAK which did not do well.

Australian cinema has a simple but checkered history. From being underrated and underfunded and underrepresented for decades, New Holland finally burst on the international film scene in the early '70s thanks to hypnotic visual feasts like Walkabout and Wake in Fright.

Following this, Australian cinema glistened with surplus films, mostly horror and sex comedies.

By 1990, the golden era of Australia cinema had somewhat waned, but there were still gems occasionally popping up.

Unfortunately Weekend with Kate is not one such gem, yet it holds up on its own unique charm. A simple predictable love triangle, this light tragicomedy has merits due to its own humbleness. Is it hilarious? No. Is it erotic? Not at all. Is it enjoyable? Well, yes but only just. Were this American or even European fare, it would easily be indistinguishable from the many similar films, but where Weekend with Kate really shines is in its own Australianess. The bush , the wilderness, the great unknown is as much the star as one of the three leads. Every outdoor shot (and there are many) are enhanced by the majesty of Down Under's glory.

Is Weekend with Kate the first film to have this? No, nor is it the finest or last. But that's why it's worth watching. The audience is not watching a jealous spat between three youngsters, but a tragedy unfold in the outback.

See it and make up your own mind.