Death in Brunswick

There's an opening scene where Sam Neill's short-order cook hero has a fatal encounter with a tin can that anyone who's ever tried to sleep off a particularly nasty hangover can fully understand. If it makes you laugh, keep going. Chances are, you'll enjoy the whole movie. If you don't laugh, go back to "The Sound of Music"; this movie is not for you.

Neill is dead-on accurate as the epitome of every short-order cook that has ever been and his comic timing is brilliant. I picked this film up several years ago and Neill's role in it is still one of my favourites. Sure, he's slumming, but oh, how well he does it. You can just see how much fun he must have had with the role. If you are a Sam Neill fan, definitely give this one a try--if you can find it!

This is a great and inventive comedy. Although it does follow some tried and true paths, most of it is refreshingly new. There are even some great send up scenes of established movie cliches in it, the fight scene in the stairwell is a classic.

It's a very Australian, even a very Melbourne movie. It catches the look and characters of Brunswick rather well. I don't know what director John Ruane did to convince Sam Neill to be a part of this small movie but it was certainly worth it, he fits the character perfectly

Best of all though, this has John Clarke in it. He could read the phone book and it'd great comedy.

John Ruane hasn't really followed up on the promise of this movie yet, although last year's made for TV, "The love of Lionels life" was a step in the right direction.

A funny, dark comedy about a life changing episode of a 34 year old single man.

Coming from a posh upbringing but a complete slacker, or so you are lead to believe. The confused man seems to aspire to more and meets a young (19) bar girl at his work where he has just become the struggling head cook.

The clue to the twist is in the title, from being a romantic comedy with lovely little moments that echo your own ways in the early stages of dating. It then spins on it's head as an offbeat thriller, still just as funny though.

The darker side to the film gives it's funniest moments, notably after paralysing his mother, he then controls her wheelchair with a remote control to get about. Also his best friend deserves a mention, great deadpan calmness, especially when burying the body.

Maybe it is a little long for the story at hand but still well worth watching even if romance or thrillers aren't your thing as it has many other layers.

Death in Brunswick is a smashing wee film. It comes from that venerable antipodean tradition of the "cooky" movie - see: almost anything by Baz Luhrmann or films like The Team, Goodbye Pork Pie, Don's Party, Cars that ate Paris etc etc. Off beat doesn't describe this kind of film - so talk about refreshing. Just when you think the narrative is heading along in a "I-sort-of-get-this" direction - some new character or plot device comes up and wryly calls you over and says: nah that would be too boring.

Fear not though this isn't laboured zaniness or posturing surreality - this is clever, clever, clever stuff - character driven, funny as...and basically something to get you thinking. And get this: someone actually sat in a room somewhere and thought: "Right we'll get that handsome Sam Neill guy and make him a play a weedy loser who lives with his mum." ???Only in Oz. No wonder the man himself ranks this gem among his favourite movies.

I enjoyed DIB and don't have much to add to the other positive reviews posted, however I just had to comment on the couple of reviews questioning whether it was a comedy. If you don't understand and enjoy BLACK comedy then don't watch a black comedy and expect to enjoy it! Surely the title should give you a pretty good clue as to whether you're going to like it or not. If you find the idea of death/grim subjects innately unfunny then switch off!

I find it tremendously sad, but not surprising, that there are so many people in the world who can't find something funny unless it's "clean" and "nice". What a loss for them. Oh well, all the more for the rest of us!