Themes: Playing the Field, Nothing Goes Right, Culture Clash
Main Cast: Margo Lloyd, Jenny Tomasin, Barry Crocker, Barry Humphries, Barry Humphries, Barry Humphries, Paul Bertram, Dennis Price, Avice Landone
Release Year: 1972
Country: AU
Run Time: 117 minutes
Plot
The popular Australian comic strip The Wonderful World of Barry McKenzie was first brought to the screen in this raunchy 1972 romp. Barry Crocker plays the title character, a carefree Aussie cowboy with an inordinate fondness for beer and "Sheilas". Touring England as a stand-up comic, Barry runs across several odd characters, including addlepated discipline freak Dennis Price. Also on hand is Barry McKenzie cocreator Barry Humphries, appearing in drag as Dame Edna Beveridge, a character who would bring Humphries worldwide fame and fortune in the 1990s. Director Bruce Beresford, who went on to such loftier efforts as Breaker Morant, Tender Mercies and Crimes of the Heart, breezes through his scatalogical material with the abandon of a schoolboy scribbling naughty words on the sidewalk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
This raucous Australian hit is more amusing than it is good. The script, penned by co-star Barry Humphries with director Bruce Beresford, has plenty of amusing moments but sometimes leans a little too heavily on "shock value" bits of comedy that look dated and tame by modern standards. More importantly, both the script and Beresford's direction suffer from slack pacing that stands the laughs amidst dull stretches and makes the film's flaws and rough-hewn style that much more apparent. That said, those interested in Australian film might still find The Adventures Of Barry McKenzie worth seeing. Despite its issues with structure and pace, the script is full of colorful characters and dialogue that overflows with unique, Aussie-specific slang terms. It also boasts two fantastic comic creations in the form of the title character and Edna Everage. Those characters are brought into three dimensions by wonderful performances by Barry Crocker and Humphries: Crocker deploys a nice mix of downhome charm and deadpan comic timing to make the title character's naivete amusing and Humphries has a blast camping it up as Edna (the latter's work was so indelible that the character had a shelf life far beyond the Barry McKenzie films). In short, The Adventures Of Barry McKenzie is better as a time capsule than as a full-fledged comedy but is just amusing enough to entertain those interested in vintage Aussie film fare. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Peter Cook - Dominic; Alexander Archdale; Dick Bentley - Detective; John Clarke - Underground Filmmaker; Judith Furse - Claude; Jonathan Hardy - Groove Courtenay; Ken Kitson; Christopher Malcolm - Sean; Spike Milligan - Landlord; Maria O'Brien - Caroline Thighs; William Rushton; Bernard Spear; Jack Watling; Julie Covington - Blanche; Mary Anne Severne - Lesley; Wilfred Grove - Customs Officer; John Joyce - Maurie Miller; Irvin Allen; Margo Lloyd - Mrs. McKenzie; Jenny Tomasin - Sarah Gort; John D. Collins; Joan Bakewell; Brad Hay; Jean Fredericks
Credit
June Hamilton - Costume Designer, Bruce Beresford - Director, John Scott - Editor, Peter Best - Composer (Music Score), David McKay - Composer (Music Score), John Stoddart - Production Designer, Donald M. McAlpine - Cinematographer, Phil Adams - Producer, Phil Judd - Sound/Sound Designer, Bruce Beresford - Screenwriter, Barry Humphries - Screenwriter
Barry Humphries appears in several roles, including: a hippie, Barry McKenzie's psychiatrist Doctor De Lamphrey, and as Aunt Edna Everage (later Dame Edna Everage). Humphries would later achieve fame with the character of Dame Edna in the UK and USA.
The film was produced by Phillip Adams, who became a prominent op-ed journalist and broadcaster, and directed by Bruce Beresford, who went on to direct the Academy-award winning film Driving Miss Daisy in 1989.
Barry 'Bazza' McKenzie (Barry Crocker) travels to England with his aunt Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) to advance his cultural education. Bazza is a young Aussie fond of beer, Bondi and beautiful 'sheilas'. He settles in Earl's Court, where his old friend Curly (Paul Bertram) has a flat. He gets drunk, is ripped off, insulted by pretentious Englishmen and exploited by record producers, religious charlatans and a BBC television producer (Peter Cook). He reluctantly leaves England under the orders of his aunt, after exposing himself on television. His final words on the plane home are, "I was just starting to like the Poms."
