User Reviews

In the second adaptation of one of Shane Maloney's crime novels, Sam Neill and writer John Clarke come up with another hilarious comedy about venal politicians, pretentious art aficiandos and dirty deals in the local art market.

David Wenham is again excellent as the hapless Murray Whelan, who is forced to go places that most political advisors wisely avoid. He is supported by some great performances: Mick Molloy as the lazy politician, Deborah Kennedy as Whelan's long-suffering offsider, Steve Bisley as a tricky businessman, Justine Clarke as a flighty art journalist, Leah Vandenberg as Wenham's love interest, Andrew S. Gilbert as another of Whelan's fellow staffers, Heather Mitchell as a supporter of the arts and plotter, and Bruce Spence as the exhuberant art gallery director.

The story is easier to follow than Stiff, but just as entertaining and funny.

This, the second of the Murray Whelan acdmms, follows the same successful formula as the first. Murray Whelan is an untidy but lovable guy, who stumbles his way through the world trying to serve his masters and love his son, with mixed success. About half way through the movie my wife made the very perceptive comment that everyone so far was playing an idiot; and in a perverse way, that's what makes the humour, even though we wouldn't normally laugh at an idiot per se.

The plot is about art fraud. Not that that is relevant to anything, other than it allows Bruce Spence to play either a gay or merely very foppish role, which he clearly does with great relish.

This is the sort of movie that experienced actors such as Spence, Steve Bisley, Mick Malloy and John Clarke can play in their sleep, and possibly do. It'll never be considered a classic movie, but then again, there is no expectation that it would be. One of the secrets of Paul Hogan's success was that he didn't flood our TV screens with his show, and this movie is equally coy. It's only the second Murray Whelan this year, and one every six months does indeed seem to be the right amount. This would never form the basis of a weekly comedy show, and wisely, it is apparently not going to become such. Many of the gags are telegraphed well in advance (eg, the characters that Murray meets in the elevator), as in often the case with John Clarke, but that doesn't take away from their punch.

Sam Neill is listed as director, and he did a good job. I would have liked to have seen him in the movie as well. And by the way, the acdmm quote in the Summary above is from the TV station promo when John C and Sam N were discussing what these movies would be.

In summary, a good movie to see and enjoy once, delivering exactly what it promised.