Any Questions for Ben?

The main thing you need to remember with this movie is that it's not supposed to win an Oscar for best film, so if you go into the film expecting it to be the greatest thing to ever hit a movie screen then your simply going to be disappointed. Instead, go in for a laugh. It's a feel good instant classic with some very genuine characters. You'll recognise a lot of them from your daily life which really helps you relate to the film.

Basically the film has a very 'funny because its true' vibe therefore creating a very close relationship with its audience, making it very hard not to relax and actually enjoy the movie rather than analysing every thing thats wrong with it.

A huge positive for me was the great/true light it showed Melbourne in. It's always been a struggle of mine to explain to internationals why they should visit Melbourne, I wouldn't recommend any of the so called 'tourist attractions'. So having the film visit the races, grand prix, moonlight cinema, air balloons and some top night spots really brought the movie on a whole to a 9 star finish for me.

So if you want a fun night out and have a good sense of humour then this is the movie for you. Can't wait to see it again.

I saw this movie yesterday in a deserted theater. There were 3 other patrons in attendance, which perhaps gives an insight into the fate of its theatrical release. Where to begin with the disatisfaction I felt watching it? For starters, despite the characters being described as being in their late 20's, the actors playing them did not look that age. Try mid thirties instead. It was a jarring and distracting element. This film dealt with 20s somethings who live in ultra glamorous surroundings whilst having identity crises and wondering what "it is all about" . They also attend lavish "ultra hip" events............basically. Its a hard life isn't it? . These are people you wouldn't want to spend a substantial amount of time with. This film seemed to comprise of party scene, after party scene, after party scene, after.......................If something actually happened at these parties, I could actually justify it. I cannot recall a film i have attended in recent memory that has DRAGGED as much as this film. I was aware of its 114 minute running time before going in, and I was stunned when I looked at my watch after what I thought was a substantial amount of time, to realise I had an hour left to go in the company of these annoying characters. Large tracts of this film could have been edited out without the "plot" being affected. I.e the segment dealing with the Russian tennis player. The film also appeared to a running advertisement for several corporate organisations, if you watch the film, it will be easy to detect them. The scene at the horse races has to be one of the most horribly photographed scenes in recent memory, with the actors outfitted in the most garish headgear and formal wear. The film has no score to speak of, it is just pop rock song after pop rock song of the Silverchair, Powderfinger variety. In the end, you start to wonder if you are watching some sort of music video montage . Another instance of the film falling victim to its own perceived "hip"ness. Perhaps Australian audiences are a bit more critical when Aussie films attempt to emulate tried and true formulas used more successfully by Hollywood (I.e the slick rom-com)? But this film did not ring true for me. It seems to me that perhaps the Working Dog team should have attempted a story about characters closer in age to THEM. I cannot recommend this film and if I had to summarise it in a word, it would be PHONY. Wait for DVD. (If you must).

I watched this film in comfortable surrounds. It seemed (from other reviews) to be a likable look at the shiftless, affluent 20-somethings in my, and in every city. What happened is, I wanted to like AQfB much more than in fact I did.

It is a slight, and whimsical story about a 20-something executive, named in the title, whose life is free and without commitment. The film is at pains to point out that the event which starts him questioning his life. This event is pointed to, telegraphed and then repeated to the point of saturation.

Overall, AQfB was a combination of a badly edited film school project, a surfeit of one-liners looking for a home, and a good first draft for a much shorter film -- which, I believe should have been made.

The story of the film is not very original, but I guess with romcoms they rarely are. Its enjoyable enough to watch. Josh Lawson is charismatic as the main character and Rachael Taylor is also good and easy to look at, with some key scenes that stand out. Many of the side characters are quite annoying and mostly exist to ask Ben questions about himself.

Whats quite annoying is the overuse of music in scenes, at times its just going from montage to montage, and seems to be trying to cover up for a lack of depth in the script. He film sometimes rushes through scenes too fast to properly immerse viewers. The scenery is a highlight of various locations.

"Any questions for Ben" is one of those quintessentially Australian offerings - a realistic film about real life people living in a real life world, and asking every day real life questions about their own lives.

The main character, Ben (a fantastic portrayal of a twenty-something playboy searching for the meaning of life, by actor Josh Lawson) seems to have it all - great job, wads of cash, gorgeous girlfriends, fast cars, partying mates, etc. etc.

When he is invited back to his old school to talk about his career to the next generation of job seekers his life seems complete - but it is this event that sets him off on a quest to find more meaning in what he begins to see as his superficial existence.

There is a wonderful supporting cast including a best mate who loves to party but lacks any trace of emotional intelligence (Andy, played by Christian Clark), a second bestie (Nick, played by Daniel Henshall) who envies Ben's lifestyle but is not much of a party animal himself (".....seems a bit weird to be the designated driver on your bucks night...") and Ben's ultimate love interest, Alex, a beauty both inside and out with a brain to match, played by the lovely Rachel Taylor, of whom I am sure we will be seeing a lot more (Nicole Kidman comes to mind).

The beautiful city of Melbourne makes a stunning backdrop to this thoughtful movie which will make you laugh a bit (especially the scene that rolls during the credits) and possibly cry a little - but overall you should feel that it was a very worthwhile experience.