YES, PRIME MINISTER - theatre

I feel the need to preface this review by saying that I’ve seen hardly any of the TV shows Yes, Minister & Yes, Prime Minister. The two shows aired for the first time when I was just 0-8 years old. (Finally, something that makes me feel young!) I suspect my reluctance to watch it in subsequent years when it aired was because I figured if my parents loved it so much, it couldn’t possibly be something I’d be interested in. But here I am, 31 years old, working in spin, interested in politics and loving a laugh. I assumed this would be right up my alley.

Alas, I was quite disappointed. I didn’t laugh much; the humour was all so predictable. For example, at one point there’s reference to blackmail and Sir Humphrey (Philip Quast) says something like “We don’t blackmail, we leverage”… cue laughter from most of the room in the 50+ age group, but not me.

I found the acting so hammy and over the top. I get that’s the characters, but for me, it just wasn’t enjoyable to watch. It made me dislike them rather than find them endearing. Caroline Craig’s English accent was a distracting let-down and I didn’t laugh much at John Lloyd-Fillingham’s physical comedy as Bernard either.

My mate enjoyed it a bit more than me but we agreed on the things I’ve mentioned. I hung around in the foyer for a while to listen to what people were saying and the stuff I heard was largely positive so I accept I’m probably in the minority. A young minority.

I’ve never been a big fan of the Comedy Theatre and this experience reminded me why. Hardly any leg room and it was so hot and stuffy in there that a woman two seats away from me had to excuse herself for about 20 minutes to go and get some air.

Coincidentally, I happened upon a box set (series 1-3) of The Thick of It DVDs on Saturday and paid about the same price for it as I did for my ticket to Yes, Prime Minister. (The Thick of It has been described by some as a sort of 21^st century version of Yes, Prime Minister.) For value-for-money & laughs when looking behind the scenes at UK politics, I’d choose The Thick of It ten times over.

http://www.yesprimeminister.com.au/

The Thick of It – season 3 extended preview

ANY QUESTIONS FOR BEN? – film

As I do with any Australian film, I walked into ‘Any questions for Ben?’ wanting to love it.

I wasn’t disappointed.

The central character Ben (Josh Lawson) leads a life that in some respects is hard to relate to. Glamorous parties , dating a famous sportsperson, sleeping around; it’s not a life I know or aspire to.  But as Ben’s dissatisfaction with that life grew, so too did my affection for him.

 Whatever you think of Ben, he’s surrounded by loveable characters who help carry the story with ease - David James as Malcolm, Daniel Henshall as Nick, Felicity Ward as Emily and Rob Carlton as Ben’s dad were my favourites.

Just about every review I’ve read has rightly acknowledged that the film is like a beautiful moving postcard from Melbourne. One of the surprises for this Melburnian viewer was seeing Chantelle Raleigh (Fleur), who grew up down the road from me in a small suburb in outer Melbourne. Wattle Glen girl made good!

In keeping with my ‘cut to the chase’ reviewing mantra, I’ll close with this... This is a great film that I recommend you go and see. Not because of some lame ‘Australians should support Australian films’ obligation that you often hear thrown about, but because you’ll enjoy watching it. 'Any questions for Ben?' is a lovely story matched by excellent performances and a fabulous soundtrack that almost steals the show.

Trailer here.

A FEW BEST MEN - film

Don’t see it. It’s terrible.

It’s certainly not worth $18.50 but also not worth 96 minutes of your life if you got a free ticket. Well, in my case it was about 60 minutes as I left when I couldn’t bare the lameness and predictability of it anymore.

Oh, and when did Olivia Newton John become such a terrible actress?