YOU AND YOUR STUPID MATE

Australia, 2005 85 minutes, Colour.
Angus Sampson, Nathan Phillips, Madeleine West, Rock Hampton, Rachel Hunter, William Mc Innes.
Directed by Marc Gracie.

You and Your Stupid Mate is a low-budget popular Australian comedy. On paper, it is one of those popular affairs that makes critics and those who aspire to discrimination cringe badly. However, once the film starts and a few of the slapstick jokes ensue, audiences start to giggle (especially if they are in a group) and this continues right throughout the whole film. Obviously, some audiences will not find it funny. It depends on your funnybone – and probably the film will not travel beyond Australian shores.

The film is a star vehicle for Nathan Philips and Angus Sampson. It is an Australian variation on the Dumb and Dumber theme – and our two nondescript heroes get into all kinds of really stupid scrapes. Nathan Philips, however, made an impact in Sea Change as well as on screen in Wolf Creek and soon appeared with Samuel L. Jackson on Flight 61.

The film was directed by Mark Gracie who wrote, produced and directed for television, including the Full Frontal series as well as some of Jimeoin’s programs. He began directing films in the late 80s with Blowing Hot and Cold and A Kink in the Picasso. He also directed Jigsaw, Crime Time and Takeaway.

1. A genial comedy? Australian Dumb and Dumber?

2. Melbourne settings, the suburbs, the trailer park, Jobs 4 U, the workplaces, the highway, the television filming, the cemetery, the beach, the clubs? Realistic atmosphere for this suburban comedy?

3. The odd couple, the glimpses of them as children, people calling them “you and your stupid mate”, their pranks?

4. Geoff and Philip, their appearance, in themselves, friends, the Australian emphasis, the decorations on the trailer, the inside of the trailer, their lifestyle, spaghetti and baked bean meals? Working in the trailer park – a little? The mother, her five children, her glamour, everybody watching her pass through? Watching Sons and Surf, the impact of soaps, audiences following all the details, no matter how far-fetched? Geoff and his unofficial website?

5. The jobs, their being called in, the interview with Peter, his taking a particular interest, the range of jobs that he got them – and their failures? Collecting the road kill, Mitzi and her death, underneath the sheep, recovered – and appearing later? The rude drawings? The old man and the kerosene in the bath…?

6. Peter, his character, fastidious, his attempts to get them jobs, growing exasperation, his not liking scouts, going to the beach for the finale, his collapse, being given first aid by the scouts?

7. Sons and Surf, the jokes about soap opera, the parodying of the sequences? Emma as heroine? The jokes and the deadpan? The cancellation? The effect on Geoff, his website? The cemetery, meeting the director, the autograph from the star, going to the party, the other star and his swearing at them, yet friendliness? The dancing and Philip being a success, the contrast with Geoff? Knowing that the shoot would be at the beach, the information on the Internet and only two turning up, wanting to rescue Emma, the scouts arriving and the success? The new soap opera, the parallels with Sons and Surf? Life in the trailer park? With Philip and Geoff and their friends? The planned highway not going through? The trailer park becoming the Ned Kelly theme park with all the various personnel involved?

8. Geoff, an oaf, the website, awkwardness with girls, photographed for the television by the helicopter? Awkward, the plan to sabotage the Logies, taking over from Eddie Mc Guire? In jail? Falling out with Philip? His being upset, the party, the plan for rescuing Emma, the Internet, the two fans, the final rescue?

9. Philip, his style, work, scouts, ability at dancing, especially at the party? The rehearsals and the slapstick? His performance as Ned Kelly? Getting the scouts to come to the rescue of Emma?

10. The glamorous girl in the park, five children, her playing her harp in her trailer, dispensing wisdom and encouragement?

11. Emma, nice, her enjoying the rescue? Todd and his being smug? The actor whom everybody imitated – and his irritation? The director and his frustrations?

12. The taxi driver from Somalia, issue of migrants in Australia, nice, his jokes, driving the taxi? The irony of people in Somalia taking time off to watch Sons and Surf? Driving the train in the theme park at the end?

13. A happy ending for all – and more of the same?

14. Verbal humour, visual humour, genial Australian humour?