Bernie-56 This is a light-weight piece of flummery with, I think, appeal only to Australians. If you're in the US or the UK watch this only if you either (i) have a morbid fascination with Australian cinema, or (ii) you have 90 minute to fill in before doing the ironing and walking the dog. I can't see how it would travel. It's a mildly amusing time-killer. It's financed by the Australian taxpayer, which is probably an indication that it was fair bet for a non-starter in the first place.Having carped this is entertaining enough and captures the pointlessness of Australian suburban existance.In the flashes of the newspapers the props person took the lazy way out and repeated the first paragraph enough times to fill the page.In my bachelor days I lived in this area and parked outside the Windsor bowling club while I shopped at Rubenstein's in Chapel Street. This locale is now the gay centre of Melbourne.

Chris_Gardner The first surprise is that the film, set at an Australian bowls club, attracts more than bowling fanatics. While players of the noble game will appreciate the comedy, which features Australian comedian Mick Molloy in his first feature film role, there's plenty for all ages. Molloy plays opportunist Jack, who joins the club as a non-playing member in order to rent out his club parking space to colleagues for large wads of cash. When the club hits rock bottom Jack is forced to mix with the aging members and play to keep his parking space. When friendships are struck up he ends up playing for far more. He meets the world weary journo Nance (Judith Lucy) who has been relegated to reporting bowling tournaments after turning down the advances of her editor. Frank Wilson is more than gentlemanly in his role of club president Len, Bill Hunter puts in a sterling performance as Stan, who takes Jack under his wing, while female support comes from Monica Maughan, Esme Melville and Lois Ramsey. In fact the cast reads like a Who's Who of Australian film. John Clarke appears as bowling-big wig Bernie bent on buying the club and installing pokie machines, much to the charign of members.While bowls has been in the public conscience since Elizabethan times when Sir Francis Drake insisted in finishing a game at Plymouth Hoe, on the south coast of England, before defeating the Spanish Armada, this film will put it back on the map. Crackerjack, now showing at Te Awamutu's Regent Theatre, made me laugh out loud as well as Richard Wallace (who was sat behind me). It's a must see for Te Kuiti and Otorohanga bowling club members as well as those who loves films like Dalkeith, Brassed Off and The Full Monty.

Spleen It was while watching coverage of the 1990 Commonwealth Games that I realised: lawn bowls is not just one of the few sports that isn't unbearably tedious to sit down and watch, it's positively tense and exciting; minute for minute, probably more so than any other sport.Am I disappointed, then, that we see so little lawn bowls footage in "Crackerjack", and we never get even an overview of a complete game? Not at all. Lawn bowls isn't really cinematic in that way; unlike a game of cricket or chess, a game of lawn bowls has little in the way of narrative structure. It's shot-by-shot skill, and that's what the camera in "Crackerjack" concentrates on. We aren't even told the rules of the game, apart from what we need to know to understand individual shots. What we see of the game is still nail-biting, and it's still enough to make me wonder why I taken up the game myself in the past thirteen years.A decade ago I thought of Mick Molloy as the Ringo Starr of the D-Generation comics - or failing Molloy, I thought of Judith Lucy in that role. Yet here they both are in a comedy far more assured than either "The Castle" or "The Dish"; better in every respect, in fact: wittier, much funnier, better structured, in the end more heartwarming, and with more bite. The swipe at poker machines is motivated by real anger - as it should be, since you could probably crowd every single citizen of Australia, who honestly believes that poker machines are a good thing, into the one garage, yet for dubious economic reasons which surely can't REALLY persuade anyone the machines are allowed to invade anyway.The basic premise of "Crackerjack" is all too common in reality. A lawn bowls club has stood solid for decades, is still in use, still benefits people, still has all the equipment and staff it needs, cannot in any obvious way be changed for the better and is of more value than what would replace it if it were to disappear. Yet someone comes along to tell its members that they can no longer "afford" to keep the club the way it is. Can anyone take this seriously? Nobody in THIS film, thank goodness.

The-Gent I was very impressed with the latest production from Mick Molloy. As a fan of his, I was used to a different kind of humour than displayed here. He wisely opted with a more subtle, broad style of comedy in Crackerjack, rather than his usual low brow, in-your-face ramblings. It is, at times, inconsistent and un-even, but a decent script works past that, and makes for some entertaining viewing. Directed by Paul Moloney (who has directed almost every Australian TV series imaginable), Crackerjack tells the story of Jack Simpson, a bloke that belongs to his local bowls club for the sole reason of parking. When the club hits financial trouble, he is forced to bowl competitively in an attempt to raise the funds to save the club from becoming a poker machine haven. A familiar, and successful formula, that is handled well. There is no denying that the film owes it's success to the great casting of Molloy. He seemed to have a great rapport with Samuel Johnson, and excellent chemistry with Judith Lucy, and while the character is probably not a far stretch from his own personality, you can't help but wonder why he hadn't tried his arm at film earlier. To smooth out the in-experienced cast, the delightful Frank Wilson and Bill Hunter support, and often steal their scenes. They are two fine actors and the pair cruise through their roles with ease. Had it not been for the huge success of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding', Crackerjack would have made it to number 1 at the Australian box office, but when you consider what he film is about and who is involved, even making it to number 2 was an outstanding effort. All in all, a witty, feel-good movie. Great cast, great crew, and a great soundtrack, combine to make one of the better Australian films of 2002. 7/10.