Mullet

I went to this film with high expectations. While I'm not a fan of David Ceaser's work, I had heard positive reviews from both critics and friends whose opinions I usually agree with. Sadly, either they or I must have seen a different film.

I found the film slow, unrealistic and with continuity holes so large you could drive a truck through them. The characters' personalities were either rammed down your throat or not explained at all.

While I have not spent much time in rural Australia, the film did not strike me (nor any of my friends who have all lived in the country) as an accurate depiction of country town life. I also felt that the emphasis on the naivety of the people living in the area (such as Mullet's father being excited about having a flush toilet) was patronising. In addition, the town is only a couple of hours from Sydney - hardly the outback. I felt this was another example of Sydney-centric film making, showing anyone who lives outside of the inner city as a hick who is overwhelmed by the possibility of going to Sydney, let alone actually living there.

I could go on, but I can't be bothered. It disappoints me that this film has received such good reviews. I was hoping that these reviews were based on the film actually being a good production, rather than being from the 'Oh but it's Australian so we should give it a good review' camp. Sadly this does not seem to be the case.

Not bad as far as it goes, but it needs an ending. It's appalling how many Australian films are made without one. The worst recent offender that I know of is "Russian Doll", but it's only the most naked example - and its very nakedness, when it is set next to "Mullet", almost looks like a virtue. At least "Russian Doll" doesn't have a first-person narrator musing about how hard it is to find endings in real life, and how all endings are also beginnings, and so on, in an attempt to justify the failing.

Still, there's ALMOST an ending, and apart from that there's a fair enough story with interesting characters (more because of the cast than because of the script). I like David Caesar's rather desperate attempts to come up with fish metaphors for what's going on - and the wonder of it is, he succeeds. For the record, though, mullet, the fish, isn't so bad as all that. What little flavour it has isn't unpleasant. (You wouldn't want to have it by itself, that's all.) Worthwhile in a small way, certainly nothing to be despised. Like the film. Hey! Another fish metaphor.

. I did my best to like this film, and it has many good things. A reasonably tight script, a good smoldering performance from Ben Mendelssohn in the lead, fine supporting performances from Andrew Gilbert, Susie Porter, Tony Barry, Kris McQuaide and Belinda McClory, rugby league, nice countryside, stark, open, beautiful cinematography, and even a decent theme; what is there at the heart of the Aussie soul?

Well, mullet is a pretty dull fish, and this celebration of it, if that's the right word, just wasn't entertaining. The film even at 90 minutes dragged. Some contrived drama at the end came to nothing. The characters were understandable, if not likeable, but it really just amounted to pointing the camera at a group of country people and saying `tell us about the hollowness of your lives.' It is partly redeemed by a reasonably upbeat ending. It was like a film school piece made by someone with 10 years experience in the industry. It may have some resonance with Australians who have good attention spans (especially residents of Kiama), and is pretty to watch, but mullet like to swim in shallow waters, which this film never leaves.

this movie was so terribly bad that just as my girlfriend and i were getting up to leave in total disgust... it ended. a thin plot, bad acting, lifeless characters, no action or startling developments, it was by far the worst movie i've seen in a long time.

i am familiar with the area that it was filmed in, and can't say that the characters portrayed are indicative of the locals... the locals are smarter, funnier, and far better company (and i dont live around there).

well may they say god save the queen, for nothing can save the australian film industry... if they keep turning out "quality" like this.

Well, I never ate Mullet (an Australian fish living in muddy waters), but this movie didn't necessarily encourage me to try. I saw the movie in a festival in Germany without subtitling. So I thought (cause my Australian English is really not that good) I am somehow missing most of the jokes, but looking at the audience, maybe there were not so many to start with. The story is: A guy nicknamed Mullet comes back to his home village after he left for three years without saying good bye. In the meantime his brother married his ex girl-friend. The film now shows how the people react to him coming back. Most of them squarely tell him to bugger off again, but he doesn't understand why and refuses to change. I think I already gave this movie more story than it has. The characters are going nowhere so is the plot. The end comes out of the blue, very unsatisfying. The actors are o.k. but cannot save a weak script. Save your money for a good Australian beer at your local pub.