We Can Be Heroes

Australia is lucky enough to call many great comic actors and comedians their own - Gina Riley, Jane Turner, Glenn Robbins, Eric Bana - and has produced such fine comedies like "Kath & Kim", "Big Girl's Blouse", "Fast Forward" and "Full Frontal". Joining the list of greats is Chris Lilley and his terrific 6-part mockumentary "We Can Be Heroes: Finding the Australian of the Year".

In the tradition of "Best in Show" and "Drop Dead Gorgeous", "We Can Be Heroes" follows the lives of several contestants, in this case, for the Australian of the Year award. Lilley plays all of the 5 nominees himself, and does a great job of showcasing his acting abilities, as well as brining life to some memorable characters, most of all school girl Ja'mie who really deserves a show of her own. Each of the nominees that Lilley plays are very different from one another. The outgoing Ricky, the stuck-up Ja'mie, the modest Pat, the arrogant Phil and the hilarious Daniel.

Each of the 5 nominees have all been nominated for various reasons, some more convincing than others, and some totally absurd. But that just adds to the humour of the show. The characters are not all likable, but it's better that way. Lilley is backed-up by a terrific group of supporting cast who play the friends and family of the nominees, and each of them do a great job given the short periods of time they are on screen for. The narration from Jennifer Byrne gives the show an authentic feel. A great show, would be awesome to see a second season with some outrageous new characters, or Ja'mie in her own show!

We can be Heroes:Finding the Australian of the year is without a doubt the funniest,reasonably realistic and best show on Australian Television.

Ja'mie King was so hilarious and even my favourite character because some of her opinions about everything makes you think about what it can really be inside the surface.The skateboarder blond twins were funny,the Chinese man(played by Chris Lilley)wasn't an exaggerated stereotype,he was accurately natural and also pretty hilarious,and the guide to Ja'mie's bedroom,school,house and lifestyle was amusing to watch.And the part where Ja'mie has a meltdown when she hears the African people she sponsored in Africa were 90% killed by a flood was funny as hell and even true to how a teenage girl would act if she was upset.

We can be heroes will always be my favourite show to enjoy when there's nothing else to find on TV anymore,except for Summer Heights High. Really hilarious show.

We don't get to see to many Aussie comedy shows in the U.K. In fact we don't get to see much Aussie TV apart from those bloody awful soaps. So it's refreshing to see something as original and funny We Can Be Heroes. A mockumentry style comedy following several people across Australia all played by Chris Lilley who also writes the show. Lilley has taken bits out of UK shows like the Office and Little Britain with the style of fly on the wall camera work and characterisation. Some characters work better than others the only weak ones for me were the two twins where one is deaf and most of the gags seemed to be based around his brother swearing and abusing him because he can't hear and the brothers only response is to give him the finger. That apart I enjoyed the series and I hope we get to see more of Chris Lilley in the UK.

With the local content down to a depressing 20% on our TV screens, finally an Australian comedy has been produced that can enjoy a well deserved cult following, and fill the void of Australian comedy to stand up next to Kath & Kim. We Can Be Heroes is a true blue satirical look at the search for the Australian of the year with six contenders all played by the ever observant Chris Lilley. The detail and subtlety Lilley puts into each character's language and social interactions is truly astounding. Most people would have gone to school with their own Ja'mie or have an Aunty reminiscent of Pat Mullins or experienced the vocal styling's of Daniel with his deaf twin brother Nathan. In the tradition of the mocumentary brought to us by previous comedy's the Office and Kath & Kim, We Can Be Heroes raises the bar of observational humour to another level never seen in this country before. A truly phenomenal achievement in Australian comedy in 2005. God bless the ABC.

W wicked comedy!

E excellent!

C cracked me up!

A masterpiece!

N not like all the other crap on telly!

B bloody good!

E even better than Kath & Kim!

H hilarious!

E excruciating!

R really, really funny!

O oughta win lots of awards!

E ended too soon!

S sublime!

Run, don't walk to the video store and get your hands on this remarkable comedy! Chris Lilley's "mockumentary" about five people who have been nominated for the award of Australian of the Year, is one of the best comedy shows ever written... and not just in Australia either. Lilley creates characters and situations that are extreme and then underplays them wonderfully. The five nominees are fictional and larger than life... but only just. We all know people like them and some of their actions hit very close to home. We Can Be Heroes is side-splittingly funny but has some wonderful moments of pathos....... such as Pat's fight with cancer, Nathan's poem to his brother and Ricky's relationship with his dad. Don't miss this one!