Review of Bran Nue Dae (2009) by Emily B — 01 Jun 2012

"Hairy-nosed Wombats!".

Bran Nue Dae is a feel good movie. That's all it is. It just makes you feel happy, and it does a wonderful job of it. This is pure entertainment, and it's not be taken seriously.

SUMMARY:

The film is set during 1969. Willie (Rocky McKenzie) lives in Broome and loves the very beautiful Rosie (Jessica Mauboy) but isn't brave enough to tell her. His mother wants him to be a priest, so she sends him to a boarding school in Perth run by Father Benedictus (Geoffrey Rush), who is incredibly strict. After an incident, Benedictus is about to punish Willie, but Willie runs away and tries to get back to Broome. He meets his Uncle Tadpole (Ernie Dingo), who is homeless, and the two tag along with couple Annie (Missy Higgins) and Slippery (Tom Budge), who are both hippies.

REVIEW:

This is an adaptation 1990 stage musical of the same name,and it amazingly enjoyable. The screenplay isn't supposed to be sophisticated, it's pretty damn goofy, which I loved. The dialogue was wonderful, with some delightful lines that were hilarious. The characters are funny, with Uncle Tadpole and Father Benedictus. The only character that I didn't really like was the hero - Willy. He's a insipent hero, he's got no spirit or flavour (if you know what I mean by that) - making him an uninteresting character. The ending is far from plain and boring, with some very funny and unexpected twists.

I did like the acting. I didn't think Rocky McKenzie was anything special. Geoffrey Rush was very funny and charismatic. Missy Higgins was excellent considering this is her first movie. Magda Szubanski was also in this as cameo, playing the frisky owner of a Roadhouse, and she was so funny. Jessica Mauboy was just splendid. She's so beautiful and she sings so wonderfully, it was a treat to see her in this.

The film has many engaging elements - the visuals, musical numbers and the pacing. The singing is wonderful. This isn't as plain and dumb as High School Musical. The musical numbles here are catchy and very fun to watch, totally engaging, and they've been staged so well. The film is able to keep an energetic feel throughout the film, and it all looks terrific. The cinematography was charming. The pacing is brisk, though I thought the film was wee bit too short.

Bran Nue Dae is a fun ride to cinemas for any Aussie. This ain't Hollywood musical, the budget isn't as huge, but it's far more entertaining than most of those dumb bimbo musicals we have nowadays (High School Musical). This an energetic, entertaining film which just lightens up your day. I was sad on the day I went to see this because my Ipod had gone missing, but I just forgot all about that while sitting in the cinema, smiling through the whole running time of this. I left the theatres feeling great. So, if you love feel good films, especially if you're a fan of musicals, I recommend you see this in the cinemas. It's so fun!