Main Cast: Ben Mendelsohn, Barry Otto, Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Aden Young
Release Year: 1996
Country: AU
Run Time: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
In this Australian comedy, adapted by Louis Nowra from his own play and updated from a '70s to a '90s setting, a Sydney slacker gets the chance to stage an opera, but his cast is assembled from the ranks of the mentally ill. After a long stretch sponging off his law-student girlfriend Lucy (Rachel Griffiths), college dropout Lewis (Ben Mendelsohn) fakes his way into a job doing occupational therapy with a group of asylum inmates. Although his original assignment is to stage a variety show, manic-depressive patient Roy (Barry Otto) soon hijacks the project and convinces Lewis to helm an adaptation of his favorite opera, Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutti. Lewis' unlikely cast ranges from psycho firebug Doug (David Wenham) and scruffy loudmouth Sandra (Kerry Walker) to depressive, dirt-obsessed Ruth (Pamela Rabe) and self-effacing drug addict Julie (Toni Collette). Given the dearth of acting and singing experience among these players, Lewis opts to translate the piece from Italian to English and stage it as a play with only a few pieces of music. The show still proves to be more than its director bargained for -- despite the dubious assistance of his friend Nick (Aden Young), an actor/director who's currently staging his own over-the-top production of Diary of a Madman. Although Cosi reteams Muriel's Wedding co-stars Collette and Griffiths, their characters here never share a scene. The production also includes former Men at Work singer Colin Hay in a featured role, plus cameos from Greta Scacchi and Paul Mercurio (who appeared alongside Otto in Strictly Ballroom). ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Review
Although its love-triangle subplot is underwritten and its attempts to riff on Mozart's themes of romantic inconstancy seem half-baked, this likable little comedy transcends its hokey premise thanks to its fine ensemble acting and its frequently hilarious script. By mashing together elements of several different formulas -- crazy-people-are-funny comedy, underdog-triumphant melodrama, and let's-put-on-a-show pizzazz -- Louis Nowra's script gets to have it every which way. We root for the pathetic protagonists at the same time we're laughing at their tics. We thrill at the glamour of the footlights and the greasepaint even as we wait for the next mentally ill pratfall. As usual with movies about crazy people, the insane get all the best lines and laughs -- particularly Barry Otto as the aria-obsessed Roy and Kerry Walker as the lovably vicious Sandra. As the token drug abuser, Toni Collette gets to show some grave-faced restraint -- and show off her impressive pipes on renditions of several time-worn pop hits. Unfortunately, fellow Muriel's Wedding vet Rachel Griffiths gets stuck with a thankless role as the protagonist's unsupportive girlfriend. Otherwise, the ensemble fires on all cylinders. Despite such flaws, however, director Mark Joffe strikes a delicate balance between character-driven humor, Waiting for Guffman-style parody, and old-fashioned razzle-dazzle. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Colin Friels - Errol Grier; David Anthony - Knucklehead; Paul Chubb - Henry; Tony Llewellyn-Jones - Jeff Kirner; Paul Mercurio - Auditioner; Robert Noble - Mens Ward Nurse; Greta Scacchi - Auditioner; Kerry Walker - Sandra; Jacki Weaver - Cherry; Lawrence Woodward - Electrician; Michael Robertson - Cussing Patient; Brian Ellison - Rigger; Colin Hay - Zac; Henry Maas - Bernard Goldman; Robin Ramsay - Minister for Health; Pamela Rabe - Ruth; Toni Moran - Painter; David Wenham - Doug
Credit
Hugh Bateup - Art Director, Lyn Gailey - Associate Producer, Alison Barrett - Casting, Tess Schofield - Costume Designer, Euan Keddie - First Assistant Director, Mark Joffe - Director, Nicholas Beauman - Editor, Bob Weinstein - Executive Producer, Harvey Weinstein - Executive Producer, Phaedon Vass - Executive Producer, Stephen Endelman - Songwriter, Ellery Ryan - Camera Operator, Christopher Kennedy - Production Designer, Richard Brennan - Producer, Timothy White - Producer, Ray Fowler - Special Effects, John Schieflbein - Sound/Sound Designer, Louis Nowra - Screenwriter, Louis Nowra - Play Author
