Clubland
Clubland
R | 04 July 2007 (USA)
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The shy son of an aging comedienne tries to find a balance between his demanding home life, his new girlfriend, and his mother's second chance at fame.

Reviews
Lovesusti

The Worst Film Ever

Siflutter

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

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Tobias Burrows

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

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Gary

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

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Brian T. Whitlock (GOWBTW)

I've seen quite a few indie films in my times. This one, "Introducing the Dwights" is a remarkable piece of work. Here you have a woman who's divorced, raising two sons: One is painfully shy around girls, the other who has special needs. The shy one named Tim, drives a moving van in Austrailia meets two lovely ladies: Kelly and Jill. Jill(Emma Booth) takes notice of Tim(Khan Chittenden) who clumsily approaches her. The sexual advances are making him awkward, and he later realizes he needs to put his past experience behind him. His mother works for a canteen during the day, but at night, she's a big hit at a local comedy club. She happens to be in a slump, because she's stuck in the day, and in serious need of reinventing herself. Both of her son have a certain someone. Tim's brother knows about Jill, and he's happy for him. Jill and Tim intimacy grows deeper and deeper by the minute. Looks like he's got him a soul-mate he can feel good about. A very good movie, great cast, and a great assortment of soundtracks to make it worthwhile. Don't care what the title is, I just love it!4 out of 5 stars!

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Dave-137

I think Philby-3's earlier comment sets up the film well from a factual standpoint. However, I would be less harsh on Brenda Blethyn's performance. What Philby-3 takes as over-acting, I consider to be her playing the part as written. It's her character who "over-acts." I also think Philby-3 might misjudge Blethyn's character, Jean Dwight. What Philby-3 takes as indications that Jean is "not a very nice person," I think is a pretty good effort to show a middle-aged mom with grown sons, under stress from several directions.The story suffers (slightly) by too much time spent with the relationship between Chittenden and Booth's characters, Tim and Jill. Some of the time spent in the film on Tim and Jill's relationship could have been put to better use in setting up the credibility of the ending sequences ... reference anchors could have been better developed. This is not intended as a harsh criticism ... rather, the film, nicely done, could have been more more powerful. Likewise, the film does a very nice job in development of multiple characters, but a few of the minutes spent on Tim and Jill's time together would have been used better to develop some of the characters even more fully.Perhaps the film's strongest performance comes from Richard Wilson, who portrays Mark Dwight, Jean's brain-damaged son. The role of Mark also is critical to the chemistry of both the Dwight family and the film itself.This is NOT a comedy, but a dramatic film with comedic elements. Some of the lovemaking scenes and nudity might be offensive to some viewers. Overall, this is a low-key, well-done, enjoyable film.

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Philby-3

This movie is fast disappearing from cinemas, which is a pity, as it is an authentic Australian drama of some substance. Show biz personalities are notoriously lacking in self-confidence, unsuccessful ones even more so. Yet like the lead player here, they still tenaciously cherish the dream of making the big time against all the indications. Jean (Brenda Blethyn) is a British comedienne of the "nudge nudge, wink wink" variety who once appeared with the likes of Benny Hill, but who gave up her career to marry John (Frankie J Holden) an Australian crooner of country music. The marriage produces the brain damaged Mark (Richard Wilson) and shy younger son Tim (Khan Chittenden). John, reduced to being a security guard at a supermarket, moves out and Jean puts in long days at a works canteen to support her family while still trying to resuscitate her stage career with the aid of her sleazy manager Shane. These distractions do not prevent her from being very possessive of her babies and when 20 year old Tim becomes involved with the uninhibited Jill (Emma Booth) Jean's hackles rise.Perhaps if Jean displayed some real talent as a comedienne it would make up for the fact that she is actually not a very nice person. As it is, it's hard to feel sorry for her. Brenda Blethyn plays her all stops out, which is what the part requires, but it does verge on caricature. The rest of the cast are OK, with Emma Booth very appealing as the free-spirited Jill, but rather overshadowed by Brenda's Queen Lear (or perhaps it should be Queen Leer) act.The western suburbs of Sydney setting is well realised and one can almost smell those smoky leagues clubs where clapped-out British entertainers go to die. One reviewer has perceptively remarked that the movie is about letting go – of your impossible dreams, of your children now they no longer depend on you. In Jean's case her personality and circumstances have combined to make this exceptionally difficult, and it is this that provides the drama. Keith Thompson is a veteran TV writer with a good ear for the Aussie vernacular and he draws his characters from life. The romance between the shy Tim and bold Jill is a pleasant contrast to Jean's fulminations, but Khan Chittenden under-acts a bit. Rebecca Gibney, usually a glamour-puss, is amusing as one of Jean's permanently sloshed friends.If this was a made for TV piece, the critics would praise it to the skies, but as it is, it's just a decent drama. Watching it I wondered how Julie Walters or Anne Reid would have gone as Jean. Brenda Blethyn is a fine actress, but on this occasion the volume was turned up too loud.

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Tim Johnson

Diane and I watched this fabulous, loving film as a double today and we both loved every minute of all that we saw. We see a reasonable number of films but neither of us have see such a feeling glimpse into the lives of people such as we saw today. As a country we should be so proud of the manner in which we can deal, through film and in reality, with the more difficult parts of human existence; we seem to have a gift unlike, if I can be permitted this generalisation, other countries and their approaches to cinema with the "pieces unexamined". There seems to be a rare acceptance of the breadth of human experience and our conditions; a breadth that passes beyond mere acceptance while the ear and the eye are absently directed away from the focus of interest and here I am dealing with Tim's multiply challenged brother Mark. Mark is allowed to be an integral character in this film rather than a challenged vision in the background. The scene where the girls take him onto the ice in a Sydney rink is priceless, as well as the last scene of the film at the wedding where he and his Downs girlfriend lead the dancing; again, priceless film with scripting, directing and acting at its magical best.Little can be added to the outstandingly sensitive portrayal of Tim's mum by Brenda Blethyn, an actor who deserves every accolade that has been given her for this portrayal that is ridden with pathos. I know, I know, already I can read viewer comments that I have not looked at yet who will damn this film for its "formulaic" script and its accompanying acting where characters are "cardboad" and not sufficiently drawn and I say Rubbish! Let us look at ourselves in situations where the actors fit perfectly into life's costume as if that costume were custom made such as this wonderful film.Go out of your way to see this fabulous viewing experience.

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