Originally a big hit "down under," "The Castle," an amusing little Australian export, now arrives on home video to entertain viewers with its low-key humor and charming, homespun ways. Reportedly made on what would generously be called a lilliputian budget, the film's laughs are similarly less than grandiose, but are plentiful and self-deprecating enough to keep viewers entertained for its brief, eighty-some minute runtime.
While many are apt to compare this film with "The Full Monty" -- simply because that title is the current popular comparative model, but also because both are populated with down on their luck, working class stiffs with accents -- we found as many similarities between this film and the 1970's TV sitcom favorite, "The Brady Bunch."
Although that show's later big screen incarnations poked fun at the Bunch's retro clothes and overall 70's fashion and styles, it also touched on what made the show so popular. With a happy, loving family, a proud and "all knowing" papa and a near overabundance of never failing optimism, Mike Brady and his clan may have been a bit goofy, but were -- and still are -- a breath of fresh air in an otherwise jaded and cynical world.
The same holds true here for the Kerrigan clan here. While director Rob Sitch and his three collaborating screenwriters, Jane Kennedy, Tom Gleisner & Santo Cilauro (all from the popular Australian comedy show, "Frontline"), often tiptoe along the fine line between outright adoring their characters and scathingly poking fun at them, for the most part they make them into an endearing family clan.
It's from that setup and not particularly the situational premise where most of the film's humor originates. While the picture does seem to neglect an abundance of comedic potential surrounding the father’s refusal to sell out -- including, but not limited to the obvious building of a moat around his "castle" -- most of the film's humor comes from the narrator's many voice-over passages -- most occurring early in the film -- describing his family and their predicament.
Other sources include some running gags about Darryl always asking his wife the name of the wonderful dinner she's prepared ("meatloaf") and his and Steve's continuous obsession with listings in the classifieds and always countering the seller's asking price. Although some of those bits are funny and a few mildly pay off later in the proceedings, I would have preferred to have seen more of them do so in direct relation to Darryl's defense of his home (such as buying bargain rate piranhas to fill the above-mentioned moat).
As such, the film isn't as hilarious as it could and should have been, but is amusing enough to entertain viewers looking for a comedy style that's not so presumptuous and/or crude as may of today's films. Much of that can be attributed to the fine comedic performances from the lively and funny cast. Michael Caton plays the father as something akin to a "home version" of Crocodile Dundee in that while the character may occasionally seem naive and/or simple, he's charmingly endearing, honest and steadfast enough in his beliefs that you can't help but like him.
Supporting takes by the likes of Stephen Curry and Anthony Simcoe as Darryl's two at-home sons are quite funny, as are those by Tiriel Mora as the incompetent lawyer and Costas Kilias as Farouk, the immigrant neighbor who gets the film's best lines. Commenting on the fact that when planes fly overhead one's abode in America, home property values drop, he says that in his homeland if a plane flies overhead it usually means it will be dropping a bomb.
Quirky and charming enough to entertain all but the most ardent sourpuss, the picture is filled with ample amounts of small comic ornaments -- such as a wedding cake adorned with a small bride and kickboxing groom, and the many gags associated with living next to the airport -- to keep the overall proceedings, for the most part, constantly amusing.
While the film could have used some bigger laughs -- and should have jettisoned the more coarse profanity to make it more "family friendly" -- writer/director Sitch and company wisely keep its runtime short, thus ensuring that this goofy family and their story don't wear out their welcome.
Regarding the technical merits of the disc itself, the picture, simply put, is out of focus and looks rather bad. The audio, while passable, isn’t imaginatively arranged and the supplemental materials (a lone theatrical trailer) don’t make up for this title’s other problems.
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