Wednesday, January 9, 2019

2018 - IN REVIEW: MOST UNDERRATED


SWINGING SAFARI

Coming from Australia, I attempt to see as many new Australian films as possible during any given year. The problem is, as a nation it appears that we are almost embarrassed by the films we make and they are usually very poorly attended in cinemas. So many times I have described a film that I may have liked to a friend, but as soon as I mention the film is Australian, they totally switch off and no longer have any interest. The fact that our cineplex's are filled with Hollywood blockbusters, trying to find a cinema that screens the latest Aussie film often results in having to head out to arthouse cinemas that normal folk (non-cinephiles) are unaware of. Another thing working against Australian movies is that the marketing of them appears to be minimal, which as a result sees these films come and go in almost no time at all.

It goes without saying that there are a lot of good films totally missed by the public because of this, and in my opinion Stephan Elliot's “Swinging Safari” is a perfect example of this. It was a film that came out in January 2018 and left very quickly, and critical reviews were middling. Reviews from the public were much worse though. If you scan through the imdb reviews for “Swinging Safari” you will see a large number of one star ratings with scathing comments such as “total embarrassment” or “worst film ever”. However sprinkled among those reviews there are people amongst them who “get” the film, or lived through the period shown in the film and it just hits them as being so truthful and hilarious.

The film is set in Australia in 1975 (incidentally the year I was born) and is a look at the parenting styles of those times as well as growing up within them. It is a comedic coming of age film, that gets the period details hilariously on point. To be honest, I was expecting to be embarrassed by this film but I was surprised by just how much I not only loved it, but laughed out loud with. The reason I found “Swinging Safari” so funny was because I lived through these times and remember moments just like the ones presented. This was a much simpler time when parenting was more lax and the whole world was nowhere close to being politically correct. I remember being separated with the other kids while the adults partied, the Evel Knievel stunts we all dreamed of performing and trying, the fact that sun care was not even a thing then, and that us kids could seem to get up to mischief without the parents caring. One aspect where I just lit up watching the film was when “Cracker Night” appeared on screen. The memories it evoked: illegal fireworks being shot off by inexperienced normal folk having the time of their lives, whilst hearing the following day on the news of the injury toll that took place from it. And yet every year, we waited for that night to hit again. Director Stephan Elliot does a fantastic job of just nailing the time and place of these events perfectly, and thanks to my nostalgia for my childhood, I found it all incredibly amusing.

I totally understand that the film is not for everyone, and that the people who lived through this time are more likely to get stuff out of this film than those that didn't. It is a quick breezy film, and while not all the jokes hit, it has a significantly high success rate (in my opinion). Much of the marketing of the film was around the fact that this is the first time Guy Pearce and Kylie Minogue have shared the screen together since their “Neighbours” days, and both of them are very good sports playing up their “Aussie-isms”. In fact it looks like the whole cast is having a ball with this film including Jeremy Sims, Asher Keddie, Radha Mitchell and Julian McMahon, with also a small part going to Jack Thompson. They are all great. The film is also well shot and gives the appearance of a time and place that was forever drenched in the hot sun.

I love this film so much; think it is hilarious and really wish that more people get a chance to see it. My absolute favourite moment in the film was when Guy Pearce yelled the words “Shit-A-Brick” whilst running for his life! I was on the floor, tears streaming down my face from laughter. It is such an Aussie saying and hearing it come out of the blue was totally brilliant. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the most under-rated (or misunderstood) film I saw this year, and it certainly deserves a much bigger audience. C'mon Aussies! Get out there and watch “Swinging Safari”!

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