Any Questions for Ben?

I watched this film in comfortable surrounds. It seemed (from other reviews) to be a likable look at the shiftless, affluent 20-somethings in my, and in every city. What happened is, I wanted to like AQfB much more than in fact I did.

It is a slight, and whimsical story about a 20-something executive, named in the title, whose life is free and without commitment. The film is at pains to point out that the event which starts him questioning his life. This event is pointed to, telegraphed and then repeated to the point of saturation.

Overall, AQfB was a combination of a badly edited film school project, a surfeit of one-liners looking for a home, and a good first draft for a much shorter film -- which, I believe should have been made.

I saw this movie yesterday in a deserted theater. There were 3 other patrons in attendance, which perhaps gives an insight into the fate of its theatrical release. Where to begin with the disatisfaction I felt watching it? For starters, despite the characters being described as being in their late 20's, the actors playing them did not look that age. Try mid thirties instead. It was a jarring and distracting element. This film dealt with 20s somethings who live in ultra glamorous surroundings whilst having identity crises and wondering what "it is all about" . They also attend lavish "ultra hip" events............basically. Its a hard life isn't it? . These are people you wouldn't want to spend a substantial amount of time with. This film seemed to comprise of party scene, after party scene, after party scene, after.......................If something actually happened at these parties, I could actually justify it. I cannot recall a film i have attended in recent memory that has DRAGGED as much as this film. I was aware of its 114 minute running time before going in, and I was stunned when I looked at my watch after what I thought was a substantial amount of time, to realise I had an hour left to go in the company of these annoying characters. Large tracts of this film could have been edited out without the "plot" being affected. I.e the segment dealing with the Russian tennis player. The film also appeared to a running advertisement for several corporate organisations, if you watch the film, it will be easy to detect them. The scene at the horse races has to be one of the most horribly photographed scenes in recent memory, with the actors outfitted in the most garish headgear and formal wear. The film has no score to speak of, it is just pop rock song after pop rock song of the Silverchair, Powderfinger variety. In the end, you start to wonder if you are watching some sort of music video montage . Another instance of the film falling victim to its own perceived "hip"ness. Perhaps Australian audiences are a bit more critical when Aussie films attempt to emulate tried and true formulas used more successfully by Hollywood (I.e the slick rom-com)? But this film did not ring true for me. It seems to me that perhaps the Working Dog team should have attempted a story about characters closer in age to THEM. I cannot recommend this film and if I had to summarise it in a word, it would be PHONY. Wait for DVD. (If you must).

I really enjoyed this film for a lazy winters Friday night ..

Of course being from Melb it's always fun to watch movies made near home, I will agree not the most amazing cinematography and the story line or way scenes were constructed didn't really flow. Some of the music tracks are not timed well..

Having said that very entertaining, made me smile and did make me want to fall in love with some good quotes about life and commitment evoking feelings of nostalgia. I guess being 28 myself can relate a lot to the story and becoming relationship focused!

The dude is 30 playing a 27 yr old so it's not as far fetched as others claim..

It would be great to see more Aussie films in future that go the next level, but heading in the right direction.

"Any questions for Ben" is one of those quintessentially Australian offerings - a realistic film about real life people living in a real life world, and asking every day real life questions about their own lives.

The main character, Ben (a fantastic portrayal of a twenty-something playboy searching for the meaning of life, by actor Josh Lawson) seems to have it all - great job, wads of cash, gorgeous girlfriends, fast cars, partying mates, etc. etc.

When he is invited back to his old school to talk about his career to the next generation of job seekers his life seems complete - but it is this event that sets him off on a quest to find more meaning in what he begins to see as his superficial existence.

There is a wonderful supporting cast including a best mate who loves to party but lacks any trace of emotional intelligence (Andy, played by Christian Clark), a second bestie (Nick, played by Daniel Henshall) who envies Ben's lifestyle but is not much of a party animal himself (".....seems a bit weird to be the designated driver on your bucks night...") and Ben's ultimate love interest, Alex, a beauty both inside and out with a brain to match, played by the lovely Rachel Taylor, of whom I am sure we will be seeing a lot more (Nicole Kidman comes to mind).

The beautiful city of Melbourne makes a stunning backdrop to this thoughtful movie which will make you laugh a bit (especially the scene that rolls during the credits) and possibly cry a little - but overall you should feel that it was a very worthwhile experience.

Not much of a story here. You can tell the story was crafted around the advertising for Melbourne and Victoria who paid for the film. As a result the story is flimsy at best. It's entertaining enough if you don't want to think too much.