Maslin Beach (1997)

the leading man is my tpye

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Various people descend on the nude Maslin Beach. Simon and Marcie are a young bumbling couple on the verge of marriage despite reservations. Gail, Paula, and Jenny are young women looking for love. Gail befriends a little kid named Daniel and gets hit on by creepy old guy. Jill and Justin split with the introduction of a mysteriously silent guy. There's a guy looking for the meaning of life in some interesting places. There's Ben who drives crazily his smoke-spewing ice cream van and pontificates about love with Simon.There are so many more characters in this movie. Some of them are less interesting. Some of them are downright annoying to watch. The couple, who tries to cheat on each other but ends up put together by a matchmaker, is horrible to endure. That's the main problem with this movie. It wants to be funny. It's plenty quirky but many times, it ends up being annoying. The best bit has an overweight woman telling another woman about her bad boyfriend who crazy-glued his penis to her. It's very usual and fun but it's the exception. It's most notable for a lot of naked people. The acting is amateurish. It's different but not necessarily good.

This leisurely film explores the lives of a group of people spending a day at a nude beach in Australia. While the film primarily focuses on a guy who breaks up with his girlfriend, we eavesdrop on various conversations among common folk out to get a tan. Like much of the conversations, the nudity becomes mundane. The most amusing thing about the film is an ice cream vendor who rides around in his vehicle. He doesn't pay attention to his driving and sunbathers must keep watch lest they get run over. He also doesn't stop for any customers. It's not a bad way to spend an hour and a half, but neither is it something to write home about.

I have seen Maslin Beach a couple of times - both on free to air TV in Brisbane. I won't go into whether it is good, bad or otherwise as others have well and truly covered this.I will say that it is so Australian. Only in Australia can we have a film about relationships among people spending the day as naked as the day they were born, and to view it on free commercial television.I have a friend from the US who is constantly amazed at what we put on our free TV compared to her home country. Sex and the CIty and Huff are just too examples.Despite our Government trying to turn us into the 51st US State, it is good to know at least some things remain truly Aussie

Maslin Beach is a charming stretch of sand below cliffs of ochre and limestone. Gentle waves lap the shore and the sky above a blue-domed ceiling. This is one of South Australia's nudist beaches set apart for those who like to swim and frolic in the raw. As expected there is full frontal nudity of both sexes which comes as a bit of a shock at first because we rarely see such candid photography on our evening TV screens. We quickly adjust however because we soon realise the characters on the screen are just ordinary people like ourselves, some fat, some skinny and not at all like the athletic types portrayed in "Bay Watch" which give one such an inferiority complex. Consequently we feel comfortable about ourselves. If there is anything objectionable about the film, it is probably some of the language and crude expressions, but this is a public beach and all manner of people gather there seeking the freedom of sun and sea.The film represents one day at the beach but the scenes are obviously shot over a period because the lighting changes in a manner that does not make sense. Despite this the cameraman captures much of the beauty of the cove. Perhaps the cliffs could have been explored a little more. And I would like to have seen even more shots of people diving and frolicking in the clear blue water. As for the red sunset, you can take it from me, a South Australian, they can be truly magic.The acting was uneven among the supporting cast, but the leads particularly Simon and Marcie held the events of the day together. Simon and the ice-cream vendor were two good Aussie blokes with all the worries of the world on their shoulders. Gail, the girl who lost her grandmother's locket had a quiet charm about her which Simon appreciated.Summing up I think the producer took a great risk in choosing this particular subject with no guarantee that it would be accepted for public viewing on TV. When Maslin Beach was designated as a nudist beach, the idea was not popular with everybody and the idea became controversial. However, Maslin Beach has remained and on sunny days of which there are many, boys and girls come out to play.