Don's Party

Don is holding a party to celebrate the ousting of the hated long standing liberal government in late 60's Australia. What starts as a serious political debate degenerates into your typical drunken fumbling and fighting as the booze flows and high-browed ideas are replaced with attempts to wife swap and skinny dip in the neighbours pool. Some of the funniest moments are when Cooley starts reminiscing about some of his sexual conquests - "When I was 18 i knocked up a 50 year old barmaid in my dad's pub and all she said all night was thank you....THANK YOU!!!" Mack: He once took pity on a woman with a wooden leg. Cooley: She wasn't a bad $£%&....Once you got past the knee cap squeak! All in all a great example of a David Williamson play. Directed by Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant, Driving Miss Daisy)

Don's Party is a really funny film. It also is a glimpse at how the 60's sexual revolution invaded suburban Australia. The dialogue is taut and sharp, the characters both quirky and realistic, and the setup funny in a tawdry, Blake Edwards kind of way. A fun rental well worth seeing.

Anybody who lived through this era will understand that this film is a quintessential snapshot of Australia's cultural reality of this time. Let alone the greatest gathering of Australian acting talent.

After watching and enjoying "Travelling North', I decided to have a go at 'Don's Party'.

I moved to Canberra in 1970 and heard a lot about the play. My impression then was that it dealt with politics as it was set on the night of a Federal election.

I was rather surprised to find that the film was essentially to do with sexual relationships among the various characters.

I don't know if the film was just dated but the characters, except for the dentist, came across as totally unreal.

The arguments seemed totally fabricated. As did the sex. The humour might reflect what happens in a football dressing room but I've never seen anything like it in any party. In fact, it's hard to see why Don would have put together such a bitchy lot of people.

About 3/4 of the way through, I pulled out the DVD and went for a book instead.

Barry Qld

Watching this during the current lockdown of social distancing helped a little. Brilliant performances by all and full of funny lines and scenes, though bookended by the downer of real life. People go to parties to let their hair down and escape the restrictions of work and order. Yes, they make fools of themselves too. How those things are missed now...This is an Australian classic, one of the top ten Australian films in my view. Watch it.