All-but a two hander, Cooped Up is an independent Australian movie about wrestling and infection starts out looking and feeling silly, but it undoubtedly grows on you. The stars of the piece are a buff young man who dreams of making it big in the US and an attractive doctor treating him for what could be a life threatening illness. Cooped Up then is a quirky romantic comedy.
Jake (Charles Cottier) is the wrestler – a semi-pro – who is shortly due to travel to America when he comes into contact with a potentially fatal virus. As a result, he is forced to isolate himself in his childhood home for 21 days with his only outside contact being with a medico, Emily (Kathryn Beck) who checks on his symptoms daily. A bloke like any other, Jake would like nothing more than to hook up with her, but at first she is all professional, dedicated to the cause, so to speak. Emily doesn’t seem to have a high regard for him because he appears to be a bit of a drop kick. She uses medical terminology to try to keep him at a distance – insisting she doesn’t answer personal questions. But gradually both thaw and their relationship develops as bits and pieces of their past are unveiled. In the meantime, he is going stir-crazy with nothing other than a pesky mouse to keep him company. Keeping occupied is a major issue. After all, there are only so many push-ups he can do and make believe he can invent.
Cooped Up was produced, directed and self-financed by 29-year-old Kane Guglielmi (he actually sold his home to make it happen and if that isn’t dedication to his craft, I don’t know what is). There is a sweetness and cheekiness about the movie that you only get to if you stick with it.
This is a small, unconventional romance if there ever was one. Jake starts out rather jaded and bitter, not really caring about anything or anyone. He is a wrestler because that is all he knows and with it comes a world of pain. I appreciated the transition in the script and the light and shade in Charles Cottier’s performance, bringing out a more sincere side to Jake. Emily’s metamorphosis is not as great, but how Kathryn Beck managed to keep a straight face throughout is testimony to her abilities as an actress. There is a charm about her from the get-go.
The only others in the cast – one being a plumber (Stephen Peacocke), another a journalist (Adam Demos) and the third an Internet installer (Tim Ross) – make but brief appearances. So, as I suggested at the outset, it is really a story in two that has its fair share of stupidity in the diatribe that emanates from Jake’s mouth and in him just being “a silly bugger”. It is ultimately the chemistry between he and Emily that give it heart and soul.
Rated M, Cooped Up scores a 6½ out of 10. In addition to all the video-on-demand platforms, the film has been licensed by Channel 9, is in the Foxtel store and is playing on all Virgin Australia aircraft.
Alex First
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television
