The Castle

This is a shocking movie. Shocking in the sense that it's centered around a family that genuinely loves each other. It came across as such an odd concept in this day and age that I thought at first that there must be a catch - could the family be cannibals? Zombies? A cult of pagan jaywalkers? But no, they were simply a "family" in absolutely the best sense of the word. The conflict of the movie arises from the fact that the airport bordering their loving home wants to expand and uses some Australian law that grants them the right to buy out their neighbors without the neighbors having any sayso in the matter. Well this just won't do and so the plot is set into motion when the quirky homeowner decides to fight the ruling with his reluctant friend, a probate attorney who is woefully unprepared to take on the big guns in law, but who nonetheless feels obligated to help his friends no matter what the obstacle. Overall the movie has such charm, such style and such love that, by films end, you want to be adopted by the family, quirks and all. An excellent movie.

I loved this movie! My family loved it. My friends loved it. My co-workers loved it. Even though none of us have ever been to Australia we somehow all managed to understand about 99% of the humor in this very funny and lovable film. As perplexing as this may seem to some of the Americans who didn't like it, or give it half a chance, one only needs a rudimentary knowledge of Australian culture or a modicum of intelligence about life outside the US to enjoy The Castle.

Yes, the Kerrigans are tacky. Yes, they are not the brightest people on God's earth. And no one is going to accuse Darryl Kerrigan of having an eye for real estate. But they are decent folk who look out for one another and their friends, and for this reason we come to root for them. Refreshingly, the movie gets big laughs from its quirky characters and not from crude sight gags like some movies I could mention.

Who cares if it didn't play well in the States? "This is Spinal Tap" didn't do well at the box office either, and it's one of the funniest films ever made. "The Castle", for me, goes down as one of the funniest films of the 1990's.

"How much do jousting sticks go for, Dad? Not more than 250."

Roland E Zwick felt compelled to write a rather scathing review of The Castle and how it failed to meet one major requirement for a comedy... it was not funny. Well, that is fine and I can accept the fact that maybe his idea of what constitutes humour is seemingly at odds with the vast majority of voters on IMDB, however I do think that he should get a few facts straight before he makes comments about so called influences he has attributed to this film. Roland stated:

""The Castle," a highly praised Australian farce, is a decidedly minor, lackluster and virtually laughless installment in the recently very popular genre known as the offbeat working class comedy. This vain attempt to mine the territory exploited so successfully a few years back in "The Full Monty," mistakes quirkiness for humor, so much so that it is not overstating it to say that there is nary a laugh in the film's entire (and blessedly brief) 84 minute running time."

Unfortunately, if Roland had bothered to do his homework just a little better, he would have noticed that "The Castle" released in Australia 10th April 1997 and the US 7th May 1997 does actually predate "The Full Monty" which was released in the UK on 27th October, in Australia on the 16th October 1997 and the US on the 13th August 1997. As this seemed to be something that affected his judgement (his use of the term "vain attempt" was a rather strong condemnation), I felt it was an error that needed to be put right.

The Kerrigan family live in a top property at the end of an airport runway. Dad has endless projects round the house and often stands in proud amazement at the size of his aerial, the hole that his son dug or some of the ideas his middle son has had. Mum is a great cook that can do a sponge cake as easy as seasoned chicken. Wayne is in prison, Steve is an apprentice mechanic and an ideas man, while Dale is just plain happy with his simple family life. However, when a compulsory purchase order comes through the post, the family find that they are being forced to sell up to make room for an extension of the airport.

Shot in less than two weeks because that is all they could afford to do, this comedy is a delightfully gentle comedy that draws laughs from the Kerrigan family but balances it perfectly so that we still like them. This is not as easy as it sounds because, in UK parlance, the Kerrigan's are "chavs" and are very simple people, they admire things that many of us would dislike (living below planes and beside pylons) and they are not the brightest in the world. In essence they are the "typical" Australian working class family and Darryl is the classic Aussie battler. The plot is simple and, although it is fairly obvious where it is going and isn't ever that dramatic, the story is gently engaging and pleasing. The laughs are gentle but consistent and show a real good touch in the writing – taking "normal" eccentricities and exaggerating just enough to be funny but not to the point where it is absurd. It is hard to describe but basically give it five minutes – you'll either get it or you won't and, if you don't, then don't bother with it because it is the same from the start onwards.

The direction is a bit rough and ready but that does suit the material – as does the cast. Caton is enjoyable and fits the bill spot on. Tenney has a smaller role but does it well; likewise Simcoe, Hope and a pre-Hollywood Bana. Narration is good from Curry and the majority of the cast play their material well considering the real time pressure they must have been under. One bit of trivia that illustrates the constraints in making this film is that the family name "Kerrigan" was selected because the tow trucks used for the film already had that name painted on them, so it saved costs to change the script rather than change the paint job.

Overall this was a delightfully amusing film with not a single harsh or cruel line in the whole thing. It may make fun of the Kerrigan family but it does it in an affectionate manner that is consistently funny without being a real belly-laugh fest. A perfectly entertaining family film that doesn't appear to have been damaged or compromised by the rushed shoot or the tiny budget.

Every once and while you find yourself watching a movie you have heard nothing about. A film with no A-Listed actors, no director with a treasure trove of awards and the sheer name of the films title at an office water cooler would result in blank stares and crickets scratching their hind legs in the background. Such was the case with the 1997 Australian gem, The Castle.

Directed by Rob Sitch, who went on to help another underachieving treasure with The Dish, the story is about an Australian family's struggle to keep their home in lieu of being given a compulsory notice from the government that the airport is expanding where their house presently stands. Although I try not to be simplistic and sum up an entire plot in as little as one sentence, really, that is all you need you know to enjoy this independent comedy.

The family is played by a host of unknowns. Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry, Anthony Simcoe, Sophia Lee and Wayne Hope play Darryl, Sal, Dale, Steve, Tracy and Wayne Kerrigan. The family lives a simple life and enjoys their time together to the fullest. They complement each other at each dinner table, they watch television as a family unit and they spend their time discussing items listed for sale in the trades papers. Their sister just got married and other than the eldest son being in jail for a crime the family holds no grudges, things could not be better.

So when the government sends notice that they must leave their house for the airport expansion, they agree not to go down without a fight and they illicit the help of other street families and a local barrister that has no business defending in Federal Court.

You might think this all sounds very serious for a comedy plot line, but it's the exact opposite. The story begins with a long narration from the youngest son who reflects on how proud he is of his family. He talks about how each member bring a unique talent to the unit and how the father figure is the one that is full of positive reinforcement. The narration and visuals surrounding his description are Australian humor at its best. Whether we are laughing at the fathers adoration and praise of simple tasks like the scooping of ice cream from a tub or the wonderment of family members over an invention of a motorcycle helmet with a brake light on the back, we marvel at the sheer naivety of the family and what it deems to be important.

The best way to covey this functional family unit is to describe it as a family of Woody Boyd's from Cheers or a litter of Joey characters from Friends. They all utter words we would deem obtuse, but it is all in good fun and it comes across as simple people simply observing their surroundings and commenting on how they interact with the world. As example, when Dale Kerrigan is speaking of the family's fame after taking the matters to court, he narrates, `Dad said it was funny how one day you're not famous, and the next day you are. Famous. And then you're not again.' There speech is entirely primitive, but funny in the same vein.

To go into more detail about the film would give away too much and this film must really be viewed and enjoyed without expectation. You may not belly laugh at any time during the short 84 minute running time, but I doubt you won't spend time shaking your head in reaction to something a Kerrigan family member utters with a ‘I can't believe he just said that' notion.

So I recommend The Castle. I recommend it with pause. It is an above average comedy that was made for less money than the cost of the Matrix end credits (They used the family name Kerrigan so they could use Kerrigan trucks during the shoot), but it can teach us a lot about the family unit. Here is a group of simpletons that love each other, respect each other and will do anything to preserve their ‘home'. What better lesson is there than that?