Charlie & Boots (2010)

Waste of time

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

(46%) A perfectly watchable, very Australian comedy/drama road movie that at times steps a little too close to schmaltz and predictability, but thanks to its sheer simplicity and gentle nature this is near impossible to dislike. The two leads are likable with Shane Jacobson playing a typical Ozzie bloke very well, largely I suspect because he is one, with his on- screen father played by Paul Hogan providing ample old git style humour proving he hasn't lost his good comic timing over the years. This would nave benefited from a trim down by about 15-20 minutes, but all in all an unremarkable tale of father, son, and family life.

If you are looking for a gentle film that makes you feel good - then I don't think you could do much better than watching this film. Definitely on my top 10 for this category. The basic background to the story is well trodden with a Son dragging his mourning father away from the dark journey into depression that he is about to begin. This he does by literally dragging him on the 'fishing trip of a lifetime' that the father originally promised the son in his boy-hood.It isn't just the re-bonding that takes place. It's also the re-kindling of the gentle mischief within the character played by Paul Hogan (Charlie) and the gradual revelation of the past sorrow that Shane Jacobson's character (Boots) has stoically borne. You'll laugh out loud at the humorous scenes and feel sadness in others. The jokes are not new but played with a believable realism by both main actors.You'll know where the story is going but you'll love the characters they meet on the way and be glad for them that they get there without real mishap.

I came away from this thinking I'd watched a promotional video for holidaying in Australia. The film did start with the premise of a story, some acting and realistic dialog, but that all vanished and we were presented with various Australian clichés, bad-taste humour and lots of chips. Every single meal was chips, every scene was highlighting a natural feature of the landscape or a location's traditions/festival. The dialog was either about where they were going to, at or had been to - literally and not metaphorically.The only reason I'm giving 5 stars is because of the beautiful scenery, but I already knew the east coast has some attractive sights. Some of the set pieces were cringe worthy, the music was incessant and inappropriate and most of the culture seemed to be based an Americana.

I saw this film on a Qantas flight to Sydney last week. It was about a grown-up son's (Shane Jacobson) efforts to re-establish bonds with his dad Charlie (Paul Hogan) after the unexpected death of his mother. To do this, he brings his dad on a long road trip in order to fulfill a long-time promise to fish at the northern tip of Australia's west coast.We have seen plenty of this prodigal son stories, as well as road trips, so the unique quality here for me is the Australian background and characters. It is only OK for me. The actors are both very good. I have not seen Paul Hogan since "Crocodile Dundee" and here he is as an elderly cantankerous dad. It was just so apparent that the two actors could never be father and son in real life because of they do not look a bit alike.The best parts of the film were those with young hitch-hiker Jess charmingly played by Morgan Griffin. She is a welcome (and pretty) addition to their road trip. Too bad her screen time is not longer than it was.