By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Rachel Perkins
Starring: Deborah Mailman | Ernie Dingo | Geoffrey Rush | Magda Szubanski | Missy Higgins | Rocky McKenzie | Tom Budge
Country: australia
Year: 2010
Running time: 88
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1148165/
Michael says: “Without a doubt, BRAN NUE DAE, Rachel Perkins’ adaptation of a hugely successful Australian stage musical, is the most fun I’ve had in a theatre this year at TIFF! Willie is doing his mother’s bidding and studying to be a priest under the severe educational care of Father Benedictus. The problem is he’s not sure he wants to become a priest, and may, in fact, rather be spending his time in the gorgeous coastal city of Broome with his beautiful crush, Rosie. While Willie is away at school in the big city, Lester, lead singing cowboy of the local bar band, is wooing Rosie with the promise of a singing gig with his band. When Willie lets Father Benedictus down and is castigated as a sinning aboriginal who will be punished, he runs, vowing to make his way back to Broome on his own. Willie finds help in the form of Uncle Tadpole, a homeless man who has strange connections with Broome, and with Father Benedictus hot on their heels, the pais head off, encountering a series of wacky characters who both help and hinder the travels.
“Of course, this is a musical, so you just know that everything is going to turn out fine, but what was unexpected was the amount of big, uproarious laughs we would enjoy along the way. Geoffrey Rush is hilarious as the misguided Father Benedictus and Ernie Dingo shines as the good-for-nothing drunk whose timeworn façade hides a multi-layered, key component to the story. The songs are surprisingly straight-forward and bawdy, especially the first full-on number espousing the necessity for safe sex. BRAN NUE DAE is an uproarious side-splitter that will hopefully find an audience in the States. 4 ½ cats”