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Castle, The
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| Year: |
1997
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Director: |
Rob Sitch
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| Stars: |
Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry, Anthony Simcoe, Sophie Lee, Wayne Hope, Tiriel Mora, Eric Bana, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, Robyn Nevin, Costas Kilias, Bryan Dawe, Monty Maizels, Lynda Gibson, John Benton, Laurie Dobson
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| Genre: |
Comedy |
| Rating: |
  7 (from 1 vote) |
| Review: |
The Kerrigans were a contented family, that was for sure. They lived by the side of an airport - dad Darryl (Michael Caton) had bought the property at a very reasonable price because of it, and they could not imagine a day when they wouldn't be staying there. Well, apart from brother Wayne (Wayne Hope), who unfortunately had been convicted of armed robbery and was in prison for eight years, but everyone else was happy. Sister Tracey (Sophie Lee) had recently been married, other brother Steve (Anthony Simcoe) made his living scouring the trade papers, and our narrator Dale (Stephen Curry) helped with dad's truck business - until there was a knock on the door...
The Castle was an unassuming little film, obviously shot on a low budget, that ended up finding a place in the heart of many Australians, and many fans around the world for that matter. It resembled an Ealing comedy in its structure and in some respects humour, finding worth in a group of characters who most would have looked down on - although the strong language was not something you would have heard Alec Guinness indulging in back in the fifties. The Kerrigans and their immediate neighbours, who are in the same boat as they are, are resolutely lower class, and while their ingenuousness provides many of the laughs, we never lost sight of their humanity.
So even before the plot really gets going, we have been chuckling about the Kerrigans going fishing on a lake in a speedboat, or the way that Darryl always glowingly praises his wife (Anne Tenney) on her mundane dishes served up for dinner, but the writing team were careful to allow their idiosyncrasies to ensure they have endeared themselves to us in a very brief amount of time. This is mainly due to the respect and love that the family have for each other, so what could have been sneering and patronising ends up being precisely the opposite - those kind of approaches are saved for those who turn up later on to place the Kerrigan's bliss in unnecessary jeopardy.
That's because after our main characters have been set up in a flurry of quick sketches, the source of the conflict arises: that knock at the door. This is to tell them that the owners of the airport, and indeed the owners of the land their house sits upon, wish to demolish the building to make way for a hyperspace bypass - er, I mean an expansion of the airport so they can make more money out of the resources and expand into the largest cargo airport in Australia. Yes, it's the dread shadow of unfettered capitalism that is threatening our heroes, and while they are fully aware there is an injustice occurring here, they're not worldly enough to know what they can do about it.
If anything. Darryl decides to ask the local lawyer Dennis (Tiriel Mora) to assist, but he's hopelessly out of his depth (he has enough trouble with his photocopier), and the best he can do in court is point out that this order for the Kerrigans to vacate the premises is against the "vibe" of the Australian Constitution. Patently someone more capable is needed, but where can Darryl find them when the bully boys are being sent round to their place and the deadline looms? The ensemble cast take to their roles like ducks to water, and if the humour relies much on the Aussie national character, there was enough here for non-locals to get, so not surprising that The Castle travelled so well. There was at least one international star in this as it was Eric Bana's debut, and one of a different vintage as Charles 'Bud' Tingwell took one of his final appearances here as the man who might just save the day, but really everyone was ideal. It might have been unassuming in the long run, but The Castle was easy to warm to. Music by Edmund Choi and Craig Harnath.
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| Reviewer: |
Graeme Clark
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