The Dish

"The Dish" is a real crowd pleaser, which surpassed my initial expectations. I guess you could say that it falls into that little genre of world cinema known as the "regional comedy." Such examples might include "Cinema Paradiso" or "The Full Monty." It looks, quite lovingly, at the lives of several characters and their environment, providing subtle humour and a healthy dose of sentiment as well. What makes this film particularly interesting is its take on the first moon landing of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969. While usually covered in an American jingoistic mode of filmmaking, "The Dish" offers a fresh, outside perspective. How did the world view it? How were Americans viewed? The detached perspective of the Australians is the source of much humour within the film, culminating in a few scenes where the responsibility of providing a relay signal from Apollo 11 to Houston is placed fully upon the small band of dish operators in rural Australia. Perhaps the most profound thing about this film is that it is largely based on a true story.

With an all-round solid cast, led by Sam Neill and Tom Long.

At a time when the comedy genre is saturated with the crude, lewd and unsophisticated toilet humour of the U.S ('See Spot Run', 'The Animal', 'Say It Isn't So'), it's encouraging to watch a film that really makes you laugh out loud without wanting to cringe at the same time. Like it's antipodean predecessor 'Priscilla...', 'The Dish' takes the best aspects of Australian culture and the Aussie persona and uses them to create the finest comedy of the year so far. Much of the humour is brutally honest, delivered in the kind of relaxed, conversational style which has become an Aussie trademark. Paired with a homegrown cast (headed by a wonderfully understated Sam Neill) and filmed on location at the satellite receiver station in South Australia, the film feels refreshingly natural and unconstructed.

This sense of cultural identity gives 'The Dish' a surprising depth for such an uncomplicated film. Rather than resorting to the contrived, exaggerated Australian image of Paul Hogan, it revels in its roots without a hint of self-consciousness or compromise. Such an intense warmth towards its small-town location and everyman characters is shown that it is impossible not to share it, and from that grows a wonderful sense of intimacy. Despite the global importance of Apollo 11's mission, a real sense of the importance of it to the community and the individuals therein is present throughout. An American film may have made this subservient to the moon landings - here, the two are intertwined on an equal footing, and you care equally about each.

And in that lies the secret of why 'The Dish' is such a damn good film. It's not the well-paced, extremely funny and well-delivered script, nor the quality of the acting, nor the great location or period soundtrack. It's because the film has a real sense of soul. It makes you want to care about it and it's characters. In mainstream film, that's a rare achievement indeed. Let's hope the Farrelly brothers are watching...

8.5/10

"The Dish" tells of a small group of people who operated a giant radio telescope in Parkes, NSW, Australia which captured the weak signals from the Apollo 11 1969 lunar landing and moon walk with its behemoth parabolic reflector. A light hearted and fun romp involving the scientists and the townsfolk, all buoyed by pride over their big dish and involvement with the historical NASA mission, "The Dish" relies heavily on the viewers sense of awe and nostalgia as the "...Giant leap for mankind" is taken. A easy-going and somewhat austere film which manages a subtle and lovely sense of humor and heart, "The Dish" will have broad appeal but should play best with those who remember July 20, 1969. (B)

I did not expect too much from this movie and was very pleasantly surprised by its quality across the board. My expectations did increase the moment I noticed that top billing goes to Sam Neill ("The Piano," "Jurassic Park," "Reilly: Ace of Spies"). Don't hold this against the movie, but the true story of Australia's role in the first moon landing gives it redeeming educational value as well as some suspense, believe it or not. I had no idea that the Australians were suffering from so many glitches that it was a miracle that they pulled it off. There are many funny moments in the movie such as when the likeable but clueless security guard, Rudi, says, "Halt, who goes there?" and after a moment you here a sheep bleating. Yes, the most sophisticated radio telescope in the Southern Hemisphere in 1969 was in the middle of a sheep paddock. Another noteworthy feature is the movie's soundtrack. I can say, having lived in 1969, that the movie reflects what people actually heard when they turned on the radio that year, as opposed to the usual "best of" soundtrack you hear in most movies set in the sixties. For that reason I couldn't recommend the CD of this movie's soundtrack if it exists.

Most of us who were over 5 years old at the time, remember where they were when Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon. This monumentally emotional moment for mankind, albeit thoroughly superfluous scientific achievement, is the background for this beautifully constructed film.

The thing that makes this film so special is the fact that there isn't a character that appears on screen that you don't care about, regardless how small the role. That takes true writing and directing talent!

The entire small town of Parks, New South Wales, Australia is all atwitter, because their radio observatory dish has been chosen to be NASA's official link to the Apollo 11 mission in the southern hemisphere. The mayor's wife comments, while serving her joint of lamb, that man being moments away from landing on the moon makes their problems seem mundane... That's the beauty of the film, you care so much about these people; their problems are anything but mundane - you cheer-on the techno-nerd asking the town beauty to go out with him; you ache inside because the head of the observatory lost his wife a year ago and she can't be there to revel in his glory; you love the fact that the out-of-place NASA official is the only one who realizes that all the mayor's rebellious teenage daughter really needs to chill-out is an ounce of respect.

This is the best kind of feel-good film. An absolute jewel that you'll want to watch more than just once.