Following on from 2009's BAKGAT! (WONDERFUL), an unexpected hit in South Africa, Henrk Pretorius's film can hardly be accused of subtlety.
Modeled on the American PIE series in the USA, it is a gendered comedy in which the males are obsessed with sex and strength, while the females are all "available," save for our heroine Katrien Swanepoel (Cherie van der Merwe) who remains sternly faithful to her fiancé Wimpie Koekemoer (Ivan Botha), despite the unwelcome attentions of rival Werner 'Killer' Botha (Altus Theart). Meanwhile Wimpie's male friends enjoy testosterone-filled lives.
The plot, such as it is, is a straightforward one: having established himself as an indispensable member of the team, Wimpie is offered a contract to play professional rugby in the English Premiership. After several agonizing moments debating whether to go or not, he decides to follow the career path -- until the final reel, that is, when he returns to his fiancée.
The film contains some rather obvious jokes, but is perhaps interesting in the way it represents white South Africans' passion for rugby as a symbol of nationalism, unity, and power. Wimpie is shown videotapes of old Springbok games, and Katrien tells him pointedly that@ "We South Africans don't give up hope." Later on the virtues of the Springbok team are extolled to the sound of music owing distinct origins to CHARIOTS OF FIRE (1981). The country might have changed since the removal of apartheid in the mid- Nineties, but old loyalties remain.
