CLUBLAND
Australia, 2007, 113 minutes, Colour.
Brenda Blethyn, Khan Chittenden, Richard Wilson, Emma Booth, Frankie J. Holden, Russell Dykstra, Philip Quast.
Directed by Cherie Nowlan.
The Clubland of the title includes the clubs in and around Sydney. Brenda Blethyn plays Jean, an ageing mother, who remembers that she might have made it big in stand-up comedy back in England when she was young. But, she fell in love with an Australian singer (Frankie J. Holden), moved away from home, had two children, one mentally handicapped, Mark, and separated. She now works with friends at a canteen. At night, her other son, Tim, drives her to clubs where she goes through her routines – she knows how to play this kind of veteran club audiences who enjoy the old (and risqué) routines. Her son acts as chauffeur, coach, reviewer, flatterer and general support.
This way of life has to come to a head.
The crisis is precipitated when Tim (Khan Chittenden) is attracted to a young woman (Emma Booth who won the AFI Supporting Actress award for this performance) who uses his truck-moving company (himself) to transfer furniture. His mother has thwarted his past relationships. This time he takes a stand and seeks support from his father. Meanwhile, his mother puts on turns, tantrums and pleads the case for his looking after Mark (Richard Wilson). At the same time, her agent (Russell Dykstra) organises a big audition and an old flame (Philip Quast) turns up to support her.
Plenty of plot – though not unfamiliar.
Actually, the whole thing is a bit too raucous. Maybe we have seen Brenda Blethyn do this kind of thing before (most noticeably – and even more monstrously – in Little Voice). Maybe it is too much a rough and ready show and it is a bit hard to empathise with the characters, though Khan Chittenden is good as the put-upon son and Richard Wilson does his best as the impaired Mark. Frankie J. Holden is always a genial screen presence. However, we do leave the film cheered up as Jean has something of a change of heart and everybody sings and kicks up their heels at the final wedding sequence.
1.An Australian story, universal? Family, work, entertainment? The focus of the title?
2.The Sydney settings, the suburbs, the homes, streets?
3.The musical score, the range of songs?
4.The comic style, comedians, stand-up comedy, routines, jokes, sexual innuendo, the audiences and enjoyment? Taste?
5.The focus on Jean, Brenda Blethyn’s performance? Portrait of a troubled woman? Brenda Blethyn’s style, extroverted, moody, joking? Her presence, her background story, the UK, comedy, meeting her husband, going to Australia, pregnancy, the birth of the two children, her regrets? Mark and her care for him? Relying on Tim? Her life, divorce, anger? Her work in the canteen, her friends? Her nights at the clubs, going in Tim’s van, Tim and his help, support, praise of her? Performance, jokes, audience admiration? Her relationship with Shane, promotion? Home life, moody? Tim and his girlfriends, her intervention, jealous, intrusive? Inviting Jill to her home? The reaction, her rudeness? The outings, Jill’s family? At the club, the performance, getting Tim in Drag? Jill’s reaction? Mark, care for him, his being lost? Her husband, his visit, clashes? His taking Tim’s side? The phone calls? The emotional games she played, her concern about the ill neighbour, the ambulance, her death? Her mocking Tim? Mocking Jill, the cooking? The possibilities for change? Going to the audition, its falling flat, her being abusive? Shane and his hopes? Her friend, his visit, her husband’s criticism? The final support, the wedding, her performance – her being a sad monster, but her changing?
6.Tim and his life, his relationship with his mother, going to see his father, taking care of Mark? His work, removalist, the van, getting jobs, wanting to pay it off, meeting Jill and her friend, the boxes? Going out, the interactions with Jill, his shyness, awkwardness, the farcical touches? Sexual permissiveness? The phone calls? Jill upset with him? His mother and her intervening? Mark, his telling his mother about Jill? Jill playing hard to get? Staying with her, defying his mother, advice from his father, listening to his father’s record? The visits, the meals? The crisis, the reconciliation, the wedding?
7.Mark, nice, his disabilities, able? His life, focus of attention? His humour? With Tim, with the girls, wandering? Going out, going to the ice skating, the pratfalls, wanting to go home? His relationship with his father?
8.The father, security guard, his hopes of being a singer, his record, telling Tim, giving him the record, visiting the home, his interventions?
9.Jill, her friend, the attraction to Tim, going out, the seductive tone, his shyness, awkward, her playing hard to get? Her character, the visit, the meals, her parents? Her being hurt? At the club, Tim’s performance in Drag? Her apology? Her making up with Tim? Acceptance by Jean?
10.The boyfriend, his presence, the criticisms? His joining in the celebrations?
11.Jill and her friend, their discussions, Jean and her liking the friend, the discussions? The embarrassment?
12.The resolution, everybody trying, the wedding, Jean and her routines, performance, the singing, everybody joining in, dancing – hopes?
13.Themes of family relationships, tensions, give and take? Hope?
