Fat Pizza

Fat Pizza is an extreme big-screen version of the Australian television series of the same name. Regular narration by writer/producer/director/star Paul Fenech's character "Pauly" provides a feasible link for a range of events surrounding pizza-chef Bobo's impending mail-order marriage.

Rap music, ethnic rivalry, anglo-ignorance, street gangs, illegal immigrants, sex, drugs, religion and sexuality: Fat Pizza handles all these topics with absolute irreverence.

There's a "cast of thousands" of Australian sport and TV icons playing small parts (with the late gay television identity Bernard King appearing several times as a leather daddy tempting Fat Pizza's delivery boys). Delivery boy/rapper Sleek also finds himself irresistibly responding to gay men, even though he thinks he's a chick magnet.

Fat Pizza is unapologetically Australian, with a huge thumping soundtrack, and fast pace. Paul Fenech has created a major work of contemporary Australian piss-taking.

I have visited OZ twice, and was shown the TV series by Aussie friends. As a real sitcom buff, and a taste for anarchy on screen, I took to the show immediately, no that's an understatement, I bloody loved it!

On my return to OZ I looked out for it again, and SBS began to show it and it was as good as I remembered.

I discovered the film, and was very excited to sit and watch it. Unfortunately it just didn't live up to my expectations, and I didn't find it particularly funny. I enjoyed the characters as I always would, but I would have bought a copy to bring home even if I had thought it to be just OK, but the fact that it wasn't worth it says a lot. I am desperate to obtain copies of the series on DVD, but as far as I know they hadn't/haven't made them. This is a great shame as I would love to introduce friends here to the show.

TV Show 10/10 Film 5/10

There's a plot of sorts about a guy who works at a pizza shop holding a ring for his boss who bought a mail-order bride or something. The plot is just an excuse to string some skits together. Some hilarious, some funny, some awful (the Ronald McDonalds, the baby),. Offending pretty much everyone along the way. VERY un-P.C. which is a good thing. This is based on a TV show I guess (I don't know, I'm not an Aussie, I've never even been in prison). Sure it's juvenile, sophomoric, and obsessed with ass humor, but I'd rather with this than any Ali G. However,it could also have been cut by a good 10 or so minutes and would have been better

My Grade: C+

If you've read all the other comments, then you will know that this film manages to offend almost every minority group that ever existed in this country. And whilst I agree to some extent with the other commentators that that is not necessarily a bad thing, that's all that this film is, and I don't believe that that makes it as funny as everyone else thought.

It's fat, it's cheesy, but it ain't all that hilarious.

I don't know why, but it seems like the makers of the film had a 3-week deadline to get the film done. Many of the shots are poor, and a few reshoots could have done it well in the long run.

But, overall, I did enjoy the movie. I admit that the starting was not great, but towards the end there was so much going on, you just couldn't stop watching!

Many cameos make this a worthwile watch, with Jabba from Channel V even making a star appearance as the new Fat Pizza employee, who is hell bent on whatever drugs he can find.

The story is not great, but it ensures many events to happen along the way. There's Bobo's wedding and his (extreme) bachelor party, Sleek being stalked by fat women, Pauly looking after Bobo's wedding ring, and Habib growing even more afraid of police activity, whilst trying to get any chick he can (and if you've seen the movie, ou'll know what I mean!).

But, even these many events cannot overpower the production values. Much of the acting is poor, and nesarly every culture or group is attacked in one form or another. What I mean is, some people may get offended.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10.