Best Friends

At the end of this film a major character point is concluded through the following question. I'm telling you this because I'm about to become hopelessly recursive and it's probably a good thing to point this out before we I go any further. The question is:

What are your three favourite films and why?

Not easy. I film fan will probably jibber and faint. Out of all of the films ever made ever? Are you joking? We like films for lots of different reasons. Within this film, the question seems to actually mean:

Which three films mean the most to you and couldn't you live without?

The exercise is simplified. The film fan sighs deeply and puts down their ‘Time Out Film Guide', safe in the knowledge they won't have to include anything because they feel like the have to – so out with Fellini, Bergman, Kurosawa and the gang. Just for fun, go away and write your answer to the question. You may be surprised.

Back? Good. Surprised? When you have to justify your favourite films and extra texture is added. It's as though you've got to look into yourself and find out who you actually are. The chances are you've actually just learned something about yourself. Why am I stringing this out? Because when I asked myself this question, here are the three films I came up with and the reasons:

When Harry Met Sally because I think I'm a New Yorker living in the wrong place and it makes me smile every time I watch it Star Wars because it always means I have something to talk about with total strangers Love and Other Catastrophes because it felt like the first film I've seen about me

See – told you this review was going to be recursive. Believe me, I was a shocked as you possibly might be. I thought ‘Ferris Bueller's Day Off' was a shoo-in. Anyone who's seen the film already will wonder what that means (especially anyone who knows me). But it's not for the reasons your expecting. This is the synopsis from the official website (reproduced here with much rebellion and without permission):

‘Mia and Alice have just moved into a warehouse apartment but are still minus a house mate. Danni, Mia's girlfriend is keen to move in, but Mia fears commitment. Mia, who can be a solipsistic bitch (but in the nicest possible way), is obsessed with her favourite lecturer and becomes embroiled in a bureaucratic nightmare as she pursues him to his new department. Alice, a frustrated perfectionist, is four years late with her thesis on "Doris Day as a Feminist Warrior." She is looking for the perfect man, but can't find anyone who fits her rigorous criteria. Feeling the need for a change she falls for the most unsuitable man possible - Ari, a Classics student, part-time gigolo and the Warren Beatty of the campus. Little does she know that she has her own secret admirer - Michael, a shy medical student who is living in the share house from hell and wants out. Her search for love transcends the boundaries of the University and their respective disciplines. Omnia Vincit Amor...Love Conquers All.'

I've edited that a bit – the synopsis at the website does somewhat give the plot away.

So you've read that and wondered still why it's about me. Are rather you've assumed it's because I saw this film and realised for the first time I'm g-a-y. Sorry to disappoint. I'm not g-a-y. I'm not even b-i. I'm definitely s-t-r-a-i-g-h-t, ask my friend Chris. So what then?

As a Late Reviewer might say: ‘There are a number of levels.'

I first saw the film three years ago when I bought it, ex-rental from a ‘Blockbuster' video shop in Birkenhead. It had no cover. I just remembered the title because I knew that one of the few quite good actresses to be shipped through ‘Neighbours' was in it. It sat on my shelf for a month. Then one afternoon I was at a loose end and put it on. Eighty minutes later I'd wondered what hit me.

On a basic level, it has everything I'd ever want from a film. There was my love of low budget films, the slightly grainy look, the ingenious camera angles, story told mainly in dialogue. All of the actors doing there best for the script, seemingly not caring if they don't look absolutely great during every second. The absolutely fabulous editing, scenes timed perfectly. As though Robert Rodriguez had decided to spend his $7000 making romantic comedy instead of ‘El Mariachi'. The music from a largely unknown set of musicians actually complements to action, a soundtrack album actually being a benefit not a marketing exercise.

But a lot of films fulfil these loves. The aforementioned ‘El Mariachi' for example. So what else?

The characters just are (I apologise to Louise if she's reading for the strain on the verb ‘to be' in that phrase). They exist within the story as though the writer just wanted people it would be cool to hang about with. They aren't there to fulfil the machinations of some theme or other. A lesser writer might have strained to make this another treatise on people coming to terms with their sexuality – and anyone who's followed the Jack-arc on ‘Dawson's Creek' will know how painfully that can be if not done right. Like many films in what is become an indie film sub-genre (‘Chasing Amy', ‘Sticky Fingers of Time', ‘Go Fish'), the characters are quite comfortable with their sexuality thank you very much for checking. It's not how you love, but who you love. The fact that Danni and Mia are both girls isn't the issue. Which makes watching the film a whole lot easier and more refreshing to watch. Chumbawamba are disproved: Homophobia might be the worst disease, but you can love who love in times like these.

And?

It's the script I've been writing in my head for years. The students away at college is a surprisingly untapped film genre (unless knives or frat parties are involved). Not quite teens, not quite adults, its difficult to completely get a handle on it. Perhaps it's just that writers feel that not much excitement can be wrung out of find a housemate or waiting for a course transfer. Emma-Kate Croghan, the writer-director of this piece seems to have succeeded. Are heart misses a beat when we find that Mia might not get her course transfer or when Alice fails to find a house mate. I showed it to my Greek friend Fani, who is much the same predicament as the characters and she loved it. Even though the film is Australian, the experience is universal.

But the get to the route of the matter, the film actually made me think about what I was doing with my life and my relationship to people. I realised that although it's important to have your ol' friends and family, that you shouldn't stop looking to be friends with new people, who might in turn become close friends (hey Fani!). It made me pull my socks up and go look for something better. And so it goes and so it goes and so it goes . ..

A mark out of five is meaningless. You must simply see this film.

I always seem to love these good ol' Aussie comedy movies. This one is no exception. "Love & Other Catastrophies" is no doubt a great film. Without fail it delivers laughs all the way through, and most times its very easy to identify with all of the characters. I strongly suggest this movie for a video night with a few friends, pizza & beers, that is if you're over 18 :)

OVERALL : 4.5 / 5

The only reason I lasted past the first 5 minutes of this movie (on cable last night) was the 3-star rating from the digital cable guide. I almost changed the channel, but decided to give it another 5 minutes, and I'm glad I did. It is quite slow-moving though, especially in the beginning.

A nice little movie, but the acting is definitely the best thing about it. It could have been so much better with a catchier opening and better dialogue throughout... but still it's worth watching.

The best scenes are Michael (Matt Day) talking to himself in the mirror, and his subsequent discomfort at the party... classic!

An excellent film. Many will miss the references to life, mainly due to not living it. But it struck a major chord with those that have. A must see if you have enjoyed your college years, or are pursuing them now. A good reference for those attempting fate.

'Love and Other Catastrophes' lends a hand in portraying the true to life problems that go along with either falling or staying in love. For example; you force yourself upon a certain person for an extended period of time, while forcing yourself to love them, only to find out that you were merely settling for someone you didn't love to simply fill a void in your life. Then a person comes out of the blue you never would have expected and in turn you fall in love with them. This moves also proves the old adage that you don't know what you have until it's gone. Whilst doing so in a roundabout way, it is your basic love story with a sharp sense of humor and a twist of that 90's character edge that we have all grown to love. Truly one of the better movies of the decade.