Despite the cultural stereotypes and assumptions he has to overcome, big pasty Ozzie teenager Nic Woodling is a badminton player and, despite his Dad's assertions that he should play a more manly sport, he isn't half bad. However with the culture pressure on him as a white Australian, will he stick with it?
This is not a brilliant short film but it is still rather charming and well made. In terms of culture and sport it is like mini version of Bend it Like Beckham with a racially unusual person playing a sport more associated with another race. It is pretty simple in its content as we have parents disapproving but being won round, a struggle within the mind of the main character and ultimately a contest where his skills are shown. It is slight but enjoyable and I liked the way that at the end the contest is lost but yet a much more valuable (and cuter) prize is won. It has the air of a breezy short throughout, with a delicate touch and light music, but it works and Chen does a good job to work with her character rather than hold him up as an object of fun.
The film treads a fairly obvious path and while there is a commentary in there about race and stereotypes, it is buried fairly deep below the much more accessible and fluffy delivery. I liked the ending though, it was sweet and spoke a lot about the unifying nature of sport across cultural lines. Derrick is really nice in the lead, chunky, likable and allowed to be good at badminton even if the sporting action is pretty limited in what it shows. Irene Chen is suitably sweet and shy and makes for a nice conclusion to the film, while Bunworth and Beaumont are solid as the parents. Chen's direction makes the film looks much more expensive than I guess it was and she does let the charm and sweetness of the film flow but without overwhelming. It isn't amazing and it isn't brilliant but it is charmingly engaging and sweet.
