No this is not a remake of the fluffy and lightweight 1966 rom-com that starred Elvis Presley as a part-time NASCAR driver. Rather, this is a raucous, at times bawdy and crude Ocker comedy along the lines of Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, Dimboola, Stork and even the more recent A Few Best Men. There’s a real 70s vibe to this comedy which is a celebration of all things bogan – ute musters, bachelor and spinster balls, beer drinking, and exploding port-a-loos. And it highlights the difficulties Australian males have in expressing their feelings and communicating with the opposite sex and the ways in which they avoid the issue of commitment.
But then Billy pulls a stunt during their routine that ends badly, and Sally threatens to head off to Sydney. Billy had just one night to try and repair the rift in their friendship and come to terms with his true feelings for her. Meanwhile, Billy’s best friend the awkward Sparrow (Travis Jeffrey, from TV miniseries Gallipoli) is trying to muster the courage to express his true feelings to his childhood friend Mary (Melissa Bergland), who appears reluctant to listen.
This is the directorial debut for Tim Ferguson, the TV host and former member of The Doug Anthony Allstars, who has drawn upon his own memories of growing up in rural Victoria for inspiration. He has co-written the film with first time writer Edwina Exton, a former actress, but the film lacks real depth or insight. Most of the characters are stereotypes, and the resolutions to the situations are somewhat cliched and predictable. The film has been co-directed by comedy veteran Marc Gracie (Full Frontal) and he is largely responsible for the knockabout humour and slapstick gags.
However it is not a complete mess, as there are some good things in here. The film looks good thanks to the cinematography of Justin Bickle (You Can’t Stop The Murders) who makes the most of the Shepparton locations, where much of it was shot. The soundtrack is great and heavily laced with country music, especially featuring a new hit single from former X Factor star Taylor Henderson and Brooke McCLymont, from the group The McClymonts.
Ferguson and Gracie have assembled a strong ensemble cast. But unfortunately most of the characters come across as one-dimensional stereotypes and fairly dull. Jeffrey’s character provides much of the comic relief here and gives the material the occasional spark of energy. While individually Samuel and Griffin are handsome and spunky, they lack any sort of on-screen chemistry and the sort of easygoing rapport that you would expect from a couple that have grown up together. McClymont makes her film debut here as Michell, the heavily pregnant wife of Kegs (Johnathan Peck), who is trying to set a new beer drinking record.
Lincoln Lewis (from Home And Away) and Christie Whelan Browne are wasted in thankless roles as a couple of city slickers who rock up to the ute muster looking for a bit of excitement, and find themselves bemused by some of the bizarre rituals at play here. But their characters mainly exist to draw some humour out of the old city versus country rivalry.
Spin Out serves up some broad but cringe-worthy humour, but this is another fairly disappointing effort from local filmmakers. The ute musters are a big part of the culture in rural areas, and revheads will probably enjoy the scenes of utes driving around in circles and kicking up dust. Spin Out is full of broad Ockerisms and the parochial humour may not travel too well beyond our shores.
Director: Tim Ferguson, Marc Gracie
Cast: Xavier Samuel, Morgan Griffin, Lincoln Lewis, Eddie Baroo
Release Date: 15 September 2016
Rating: M
Greg King
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television