Movies

Bran Nue Day has its heart in the right place it just doesn't quite pull it off! Its basically a musical road movie but its just a bit too silly for my tastes. There are some good elements - it moves along nicely, there are some good performances (Jessica Mauboy for one, Ernie Dingo is OK too), reasonable songs, its bright & paints Australias Broome in an attractive light. Other parts really could have done with some work though. The Tom Budge character (he plays Missy Higgins hippie boyfriend) is a complete joke & Geoffrey Rushs character is over the top too. Some of the choreography & miming are so bad, characters pop in & out with little relevance & the finale is woeful. With all that it is a pretty reasonable excuse for a mindless popcorn movie, it thats what you are looking for, this is your film.

With all the hype in the Aussie media about this, I expected an Australian equivalent to Cabaret, but this is closer to a "Road to..." movie with a black Crosby and Hope. This is farce with a touch of social comment, and when seen in that light could be funny and enjoyable. Personally I could not because of the gushy reviews I'd heard. One day I hope to not rush along, lemming-like, to see a movie because of a Julie Rigg exultation! Like many musicals, Bran Nue Dae has a barely believable plot, one dimensional characters, a resolution which makes a deus ex machina look believable and moderately interesting music.Within these parameters director Rachel Perkins does a good job, but the star turn of the piece for me was Ernie Dingo as Uncle Tadpole. He's worth the ticket price on his own.

OK... Maybe I'm not aboriginal enough, or too 'southern', but it just didn't click with me. Firstly, well done to Rocky McKenzie. You were the light in the otherwise bleak cinema.I wasn't impressed by Mauboy, who just seemed to be cashing in on her background and five minutes of fame.It was a bit Disney to me... the smart-arse side-kick for comic relief, the wise old elder with his/her own baggage, the baddie who gets his/hers in the end, the whore with the heart of gold etc etc. It all seemed cobbled together and twee. If you want something light and boring to fill your day in with, give it a try. But I think you could do better with a long walk off a short pier. I just expected more.