Review of The Sapphires (2012) by Manny C — 20 Apr 2013

Call it Dreamgirls down under. It's also a blast pf pure musical joy. There's also social ills and harsh truths at the center of this music-based drama, notably the fact that an Aboriginal female soul group had to transcend racial barriers to entertain troops in Vietnam in 1968. Writer Tony Briggs transformed the true story of his mother and her girl group into a stage play in 2004, and now, with assist from screenwriter Keith Thompson and director Wayne Blair, making his feature debut, it's now an outstanding film that is too good to resist. It has some bumps along the way, but overall its a powerful movie that'll worm its way into your heart.

The Aboriginal girl group consisting of Gail (Deborah Mailman), Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell) and vocal powerhouse Julie (Jessica Mauboy) are getting nowhere singing country & western covers, but then comes Dave Lovelace (Chris O'Dowd), an Irish boozehound playing piano in dingy pubs. He sees something special in the girls, especially when they tear into a soul number. Adding their snob cousin Kay (Shari Sebbens) and ignoring family wishes to try and pass for white in Melbourne, the girls take their talent on a tour of Vietnam, now calling themselves the Sapphires.

Dave becomes their manager and musical director. As much as he believes in the girls he still has clashes with sharp-tongued Gail (Mailman is a keeper), whose hostility to him conceals her real feelings. As for O'Dowd, he gives a performance like nothing you've ever seen him in. Best known for his role on the Brit comedy The IT Crowd, as well as turns in Bridesmaids and Friends With Kids, O'Dowd is a born scene-stealer, but his performance in The Sapphires is deeper than anything he's ever done, worthy of all kinds of awards. He's funny and nuanced all at once. Sometimes the film tries your patience with clunsy sentiment but it never distracts from The Sapphires themselves rocking out Motown classics. It's an absolute treat.