User reviews

I enjoyed DIB and don't have much to add to the other positive reviews posted, however I just had to comment on the couple of reviews questioning whether it was a comedy. If you don't understand and enjoy BLACK comedy then don't watch a black comedy and expect to enjoy it! Surely the title should give you a pretty good clue as to whether you're going to like it or not. If you find the idea of death/grim subjects innately unfunny then switch off!

I find it tremendously sad, but not surprising, that there are so many people in the world who can't find something funny unless it's "clean" and "nice". What a loss for them. Oh well, all the more for the rest of us!

A funny, dark comedy about a life changing episode of a 34 year old single man.

Coming from a posh upbringing but a complete slacker, or so you are lead to believe. The confused man seems to aspire to more and meets a young (19) bar girl at his work where he has just become the struggling head cook.

The clue to the twist is in the title, from being a romantic comedy with lovely little moments that echo your own ways in the early stages of dating. It then spins on it's head as an offbeat thriller, still just as funny though.

The darker side to the film gives it's funniest moments, notably after paralysing his mother, he then controls her wheelchair with a remote control to get about. Also his best friend deserves a mention, great deadpan calmness, especially when burying the body.

Maybe it is a little long for the story at hand but still well worth watching even if romance or thrillers aren't your thing as it has many other layers.

Funny how two Kiwis (John Clarke & Sam Neill) have made one of the best and most keenly observed films ever made about the inner suburbs of Melbourne and sad how the only reviewers who couldn't appreciate its humour came from the southern states of the USA. Perhaps the humour came out of references that were a little too specific for people who haven't experienced post second war Melbourne and the effect that the large influx of southern European migrants had on both the city and the migrants themselves over the second half of the twentieth century. John Clarke, who another reviewer rightly said could be funny reading a phone book, steals the movie as the laconic friend of Sam Neill, the weak but likable hero of the story. Clarke played a significant part in the writing of the movie, which has a much lighter touch than the book upon which it its based, and his character gets many of the best lines. Sam Neill is terrific as the hapless hero of the piece, Ms Carides has an appeal that no "thirty something" male could resist, and the supporting characters including "Cookie's" domineering mother, Sophies' fearsome father, Clarke's no-nonsense wife, the club's sleazy owner and his dopey flunkies, and the drug dealing Turk and his associates are all just flawless. There may be parts of the world that contain people sufficiently insular to not appreciate this movie's humour or the way it shows a weak man dealing with and coming to terms with the forces that have oppressed him and one can but feel sorry for them. For the rest of us its a both a movie to bring a wry smile to our faces and a warning against eating crunchy pizzas.

I've only just come across this movie for the first time and found it interesting in many ways. It's more of a straight drama than a comedy, though it does have moments of grim humour. It's not really a "black comedy", but is simply the story of one man (played by Sam Neill) and his constant struggle to maintain his self-respect and survive in his sordid surroundings. Brunswick is a working-class suburb of Melbourne, Australia, with a large migrant population, and this sometimes ambling/slow-moving film, captures some of the typical "feel" of the place. Quite a good movie; a bit different to the norm.

Why anyone labeled this a comedy is a mystery to me- the whole movie is downbeat-- from the squalor Cal lives in to the situation at work... It was slow and with the violence not a bit funny.... Sam Neill is kind of cute- but I don't think a 19 year old would fall for him...

First of all, this is not a dark comedy. Just because someone is dying, it doesn't mean it's dark or macabre or "sinister" enough to characterize it as a dark/black comedy. This is a comedy/drama and it focuses on the relationship between Neill and Carides. So, there is a romantic element too. Of course, it has nothing to do with a Holywood comedy/romance movie but it's neither much bleak or sad as it seems at first.

Overall, it is a good movie, both leading actors did a fine job and it's interesting until the end. I can't recommend it because there are better movies to watch, too many movies, too little time. But it's good. Characters are real, there are some intense moments, it doesn't drag. It's kinda funny at times but don't expect something hilarious.

And the ending is satisfying.

From the moment the film opens, depicting aluminium cans rolling ceaselessly (and noisily) in the wind, along with the elderly Greek ladies putting this year's Christmas trees into the wrecked Austin 1800 (stuffed next to previous year's Christmas trees), you know that this film is going to be a little different.

Melbourne, one of the most multi-cultural metropolis's in the world (should that be metropoli?) is the setting for this rather dark comedy drama. Carl, an unemployed and very much down on his luck chef, gets a job at a less than reputable nightclub in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick. He falls in love with one of the Greek barmaids, much to the consternation of the owner of the bar who has been betrothed to the barmaid. Not helping matters much is a Turkish kitchen hand, who appears to want to spend more time trading in stolen goods and drugs than actually working as a kitchen hand.

When matters escalate out of hand, Carl needs the specialist help that only his friend, Dave can provide. If it can be said that a good friend will help you move (house), it's fair to say that only a true friend will help you move - a body, and as a gravedigger at the local cemetery Dave is in the ideal position to help "dispose" of one of Carl's kitchen disasters.

Along the way, Dave is pestered by his Feminist-rights movement wife who spends most of her on-screen time berating Dave for his pathetic life, while Carl spends his time being roughed up by the nightclub bouncer, roughed up by a Turkish crime syndicate, or, more worryingly, being berated and belittled by his mother.

A truly enjoyable Australian film from the early 1990's, though apparently not available in Australia - I had to get my copy from the UK, though fortunately the UK release is region free.

A fairly mediocre film with three wasted talents. That's wasted as in not used to their full potentials, not what you might think. This movie could have been so much more, but seemed to just "get-by". Neil is wooden, really wooden, he makes an old growth forest look like it's made of PVC and polycarbonates. Clarke is his usual self but doesn't have much to work with and Zoe does a good job. Especially given that she got her assets out in a scene. Aside from that it feels dated, and boring. The "ethnic" Australian angle wasn't used to it's best potential. Although other reviewers comment on the "nastier" aspects of this movie it's really very tame and the nastiest thing about it is the horrible 80's leather pants. Straight to DVD stuff.

There's an opening scene where Sam Neill's short-order cook hero has a fatal encounter with a tin can that anyone who's ever tried to sleep off a particularly nasty hangover can fully understand. If it makes you laugh, keep going. Chances are, you'll enjoy the whole movie. If you don't laugh, go back to "The Sound of Music"; this movie is not for you.

Neill is dead-on accurate as the epitome of every short-order cook that has ever been and his comic timing is brilliant. I picked this film up several years ago and Neill's role in it is still one of my favourites. Sure, he's slumming, but oh, how well he does it. You can just see how much fun he must have had with the role. If you are a Sam Neill fan, definitely give this one a try--if you can find it!

I must confess, I gave this movie a miss when it was released, so I gave in and finally checked it out. I am a big fan of John Clarke and Sam Neil, so I thought it would be pretty good. To be honest, I just could not get comfortable with this movie, the story is a mish-mash of situations that, at times, lack a lot in creditability. The movie is a black comedy one minute and a tense drama the next. There is one scene, set it in a church, that was ridiculous and helped destroy whatever realism the story was trying to convey. (it involved a shaft of light). Sam Neil's character was so inept, that I grew to dislike him fairly quickly... and I'm sure that was the way the character was supposed to be viewed, but I all wanted to see was for someone to knock the tar out of him. The snide racial overtones in the story will put you on edge at times. The few scenes that John Clarke was in was the only thing that kept me interested. It is a poor man's Quentin Tarantino style of movie. Not really my cup of tea.

Death in Brunswick is a smashing wee film. It comes from that venerable antipodean tradition of the "cooky" movie - see: almost anything by Baz Luhrmann or films like The Team, Goodbye Pork Pie, Don's Party, Cars that ate Paris etc etc. Off beat doesn't describe this kind of film - so talk about refreshing. Just when you think the narrative is heading along in a "I-sort-of-get-this" direction - some new character or plot device comes up and wryly calls you over and says: nah that would be too boring.

Fear not though this isn't laboured zaniness or posturing surreality - this is clever, clever, clever stuff - character driven, funny as...and basically something to get you thinking. And get this: someone actually sat in a room somewhere and thought: "Right we'll get that handsome Sam Neill guy and make him a play a weedy loser who lives with his mum." ???Only in Oz. No wonder the man himself ranks this gem among his favourite movies.

I truly love this flick! It is so terribly funny, I find myself laughing until I cry! Very few movies have this effect on me. It's not a deep, or thought-provoking film, but that's not its purpose, either. I enjoy this movie for its subtle and not-so-subtle humor. The plot is simple, yet feasible and perfect. I really cannot say much, except that it is a fun ride, and worth a look! If you're having a glum day, this is a great "pick-me-up!"

This is a great and inventive comedy. Although it does follow some tried and true paths, most of it is refreshingly new. There are even some great send up scenes of established movie cliches in it, the fight scene in the stairwell is a classic.

It's a very Australian, even a very Melbourne movie. It catches the look and characters of Brunswick rather well. I don't know what director John Ruane did to convince Sam Neill to be a part of this small movie but it was certainly worth it, he fits the character perfectly

Best of all though, this has John Clarke in it. He could read the phone book and it'd great comedy.

John Ruane hasn't really followed up on the promise of this movie yet, although last year's made for TV, "The love of Lionels life" was a step in the right direction.

Great film. I worked with John a few years back on a short film that never got made. We had a great time and I really wish my movie went further. He was a great director to work with, had some odd ideas, but hey, that's awesome, and Death in Brunswick was a great Australian film. I reckon you , JOHN, should go all out and make that ideal dream film. The one with all your crazy, whacked out ideas. Like the one with the kids that buried their principle under the oval. That was seriously cool. Cant wait to see some more Ruane films. Hope you're still at it John. You kicked butt back then and I'm sure you still can. Well I'm running out of lines cause this thing says I need ten lines to submit it. OK I think that's enough.

TySe

This movie is so off-beat I don't recall ever seeing anything quite like it. And it manages to be truly disgusting in very realistic ways. Very off-beat. Anything with Sam Neill is always worth watching, but I can't say this is one of my favorites. Very off-beat.

...now that's rich!! THAT would have to be the best joke I have heard in years. Sighting the words "USA" & "Comedy" together in reference to a film or television show guides me to steer way clear - WARNING!!! OBVIOUS, UNSUBTLE GARBAGE MASQUERADING AS HUMOUR IS NIGH!!! When they published the dictionary in the States I'm sure they MUST have excluded words such as "irony" and "satire". For those of you who wonder how they tempted Sam Neill to be in such a small film - he's a good mate of John Clarke (they are partners in a film production company - he also appeared in one episode of The Games). He serves our film industry well. Between 2000 & 2005 he made approx 20 films - half of those were made for the local film industry (including one in New Zealand). Compare that to Nicole Kidman - 17 films in the same period and only 2 for the local film industry (and squeezing Moulin Rouge into that is pushing it - at least it used local crew & extras).

This is an interesting black comedy with Sam Neill doing a turn as a "34" (ah hem) year old short order cook, on a loosing streak. That is until he meets the woman of his meager dreams. I enjoyed this downunder flick because of it's unpredictability. It's brutal, but then a loser's life sometimes is. But Carl (Sam Neill) wanders through all of the chaos around him, teettering on this side of naive. Even when he does take initiative, he can't do it all himself. There are some great scenes - including a pizza I'd like to serve my ex-boss! It is slow in parts and not always cohesive, but worth sitting through. A slice of reality. Reminds me of a brother, 30something (ah hem)...

Let's get one thing straight ... if Sam Neill and John Clarke weren't born in Australia then they bloody well should have been. There must have been a stuff up with the paperwork. Regardless they're ours now. You folk across the ditch just stop yer bleating and go and annoy some sheep. This little cracker is one of the finest and funniest films Australia has produced (graveyard scene an all time classic). No spoilers .. just don't miss it. R.I.P. John Clarke .. I'm despatching the hounds to ensure the sanctity of YOUR final resting place at once! Arkle on from afar ... Miss ya mate.

I like the bit when Sophie's father punches cookie in the face