In viaggio con Charlie

I saw this film on a Qantas flight to Sydney last week. It was about a grown-up son's (Shane Jacobson) efforts to re-establish bonds with his dad Charlie (Paul Hogan) after the unexpected death of his mother. To do this, he brings his dad on a long road trip in order to fulfill a long-time promise to fish at the northern tip of Australia's west coast.

We have seen plenty of this prodigal son stories, as well as road trips, so the unique quality here for me is the Australian background and characters. It is only OK for me. The actors are both very good. I have not seen Paul Hogan since "Crocodile Dundee" and here he is as an elderly cantankerous dad. It was just so apparent that the two actors could never be father and son in real life because of they do not look a bit alike.

The best parts of the film were those with young hitch-hiker Jess charmingly played by Morgan Griffin. She is a welcome (and pretty) addition to their road trip. Too bad her screen time is not longer than it was.