Spin Out (2016)

Pretty Good

One of my all time favorites.

Awesome Movie

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

This movie makes me feel good. The soundtrack is the best, and Morgan Griffin is such a cute actress that is romantic. I haven't seen this in cinemas, This is one of the best Australian Comedy of all.

I don't expect too much when decided to watch this movie. I just want to know some Australian's culture and when I notice that its about ute muster or we can say run around drive, I go for this one. Its good, its really works for me. A kind of subtle love story between two character who have been friend since childhood. I really love this movie, even though maybe someone will say that its just some cliché romance story where you can absolutely know what will happen in the end. I still really love it. The feel good flow, the cute side love story between Sparrow & Mary that is really fun to watch. We can say that its a fun lighthearted movie where you can smile on your own. Its nothing much but its not a waste of time. Don't let your love run.

Australian filmmaking stands tall amongst the best in global cinema. We have so many iconic works across all genres that show our love of land and respect for its traditional owners, mock our idiosyncratic humour and explore the spirit of adventure that has driven the creation of this island nation. Disappointingly, there is not a hint of any of this in the coming of age rom-com called Spin Out (2016). It is difficult to even guess why this film was made and why it had to fall so short of our Aussie film traditions, given the resources at its disposal.The story centres on the fading outback customs of the ute muster and the Bachelor and Spinsters ball, both of which are struggling for survival against insurance costs and the social disintegration of traditional life in remote rural areas. The ute muster is a competition between ute stunt drivers who perform a variety of high risk manoeuvres in a mechanised rodeo setting, and the B & S ball is the bacchanalian booze-up that happens after the show. Billy (Xavier Samuel) and Lucy (Morgan Griffin) are stunt-driver teammates and childhood friends. After another display of Billy's immaturity, Lucy announces that she is heading for city life and leaving all of this behind. The rest of the story is about Billy's realisation that his teammate has become the girl he loves and he needs to grow up fast, a theme that is echoed amongst several of Billy's mates in their inept courting rituals. The dominant take-home memories from this film are the roaring dust storms of spinning utes and the inevitable consequences of non-stop drinking.One can only hope that anyone seeing this film overseas realises that it is a grossly exaggerated caricature of rural stereotypes and not a portrait. The dialogue is so corny starched that many scenes read like a high-school play with acting performances that scream inauthenticity. The only shining light comes from Morgan Griffin who, despite the script, fills each close-up scene with pleasing warmth and maturity. Xavier Samuel is wasted here, especially after his fine performance in Love and Friendship (2016). Otherwise, the cast is entirely young white adults without even a nod of respect for the Indigenous inhabitants of the land so ruthlessly being ripped up by white mans' machines. The humour is puerile, fixated on stunted sexual development and a variety of bodily functions that could have been rendered funny but are not. The narrative theme of young people's progression to adulthood in the harshness of outback Australia is entirely lost in a messy confusion of juvenile slapstick sketches.

'Spin Out' offers the audience a chance to sit back, relax and enjoy a fun ride as they witness a feel-good coming-of-age story. The film is littered with Australian themes and discourses that are common among some of the nation's most successful films - mateship, larrikinism, the Aussie battler, small country towns and the outback.Everything in the film is solid without being exceptional. There are some nice performances from the leads, Xavier Samuel and Morgan Griffin, but the film truly belongs to supporting actor Travis Jeffery. He brings to the screen an admirable blend of humour and pathos that really becomes the connection between the audience and the story.The co-direction of the film by Marc Gracie and Tim Ferguson works well and is rather cinematic considering their backgrounds in television. Ferguson and co-writer Edwina Exton seem to genuinely love their characters and have worked to blend an array of small country town figures and issues in an effective way to give the majority of supporting players a chance to shine.I think the film is best summed up by another reviewer that stated it is 'sweet but parochial'. It is a generally fun, if slightly flawed, film that I really enjoyed watching. Sometimes movies should be just about having a good time with good characters and this is one of them.