Best in Show (2000) was a delightful hoot. Now, nearly a quarter of a century on, we have a beaut family movie that again involves canine and human competition. Runt is a full-hearted Aussie comedy concerning a little girl from a salt-of-the-earth country town and the stray she befriends.
Runt – the dog – runs riot around (fictitious) Upson Downs, scavenging any food he can get his mouth on and that includes snags from the local butcher. One day he runs into 11-year-old Annie Shearer (Lily LaTorre) and the pair quickly bonds. But her family, who live on a farm, is facing financial ruin because Upson Downs is in drought (it hasn’t rained there for over a year). Annie’s parents, father Bryan (Jai Courtney) and mother Susie (Celeste Barber), who sews well, but is a terrible cook, are good natured people.
The same can’t be said for their belligerent neighbour, Earl Robert-Barren (Jack Thompson), a greedy landowner, intent on acquiring the Shearer’s property. Annie has an adventurous, thrill-seeking brother, Max (Jack LaTorre) and enjoys a close relationship with their widowed grandmother Dolly (Genevieve Lemon). Annie would dearly like to help extricate her family from the predicament in which they find themselves and chances upon two ideas. The first involves her dear departed grandfather (Dolly’s former husband), who was an inventor. She comes across his sketches for what he called a Rainmaker and decides to try to piece together the said contraption. When that fails to achieve its goal, Annie enters Runt into an agility competition and, lo and behold, Runt wins.
Next step is the Australian championships and, beyond that, the lucrative Krumpets’ Dog Show in London. At stake in the latter is a juicy $250,000, which could prove to be the Shearer’s get out of jail card. But Annie has several obstacles to overcome first. Not the least of them is Runt’s inability to perform when watched by anyone other than Annie. Another is a formidable adversary in the competition stakes by the name of Fergus Fink (Matt Day), who is an unscrupulous dog handler.
Craig Silvey’s 2022 critically acclaimed novel Runt quickly made it onto the best-sellers’ list. The movie – he also wrote the screenplay – deserves to do likewise in terms of family favourite films, for it is a rolled gold charmer. The exaggerated characterisations work a treat, as fun is the name of the game.
Lily LaTorre is the lifeblood of the picture (not to take anything away from Squid, the rescue dog, who plays Runt). Her smarts and down to earth pragmatism are on show for all to see. Jai Courtney nails the role of the devoted husband and father, who is not afraid to tell the occasional “kind lie”. Celeste Barber imbues Susie with positivity and perseverance. Jack LaTorre revels as Annie’s daredevil brother Max. Genevieve Lemon gives Dolly an endearing rough and tumble, never say die quality. Jack Thomson does a fine job nailing arrogance and entitlement as Earl Robert-Barren. You also feel like hissing at Matt Day, who plays the uppity villain Fergus Fink with alacrity. Deborah Mailman generates warmth as Bernadatte Box, a mysterious retired champion dog owner.
Overall, I loved the look and feel of Runt, although I was somewhat concerned about its slapstick start. Admittedly though, I quickly settled into appreciating of the tone of the work. Director John Sheedy has captured the essence of Silvey’s prose with distinction and given us something to savour.
Alex First
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Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.
