billcr12
The Castle is from Australia and refers to the saying a man's home is his castle; in this case, of the Kerrigan family. A mom, a dad, two sons, and a daughter. It opens with one of the sons as narrator. He voices over the scene of his father standing beside their house by an airport runway. He explains how his pop hot a great deal on the property because of location, location, location. A huge power line with big steel towers also runs through their land.The look is similar to an old Saturday Night Live sketch with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi extended to an hour and a half, and therein lies the problem. The naive cuteness of these oddballs wears thin rather quickly. The airport is about to expand and is buying the houses under what would be eminent domain here in the United States. They refuse to sell and go to court with an inept lawyer to fight the order. After losing, a counsel who is a constitutional expert represents him in Australia's Supreme Court. As a comedy, it just isn't very funny, and as a message concerning the mistreatment of Aborigines, it is extremely shallow. The Castle is a mediocre film with an average cast and so so script.
erin_osullivan
As an Australian, you don't get much better than this. I really don't know many Australian's that don't enjoy this film, or use the colloquials in everyday life ('tell him he's dreamin'). Each time I watch this film I laugh at the irony at the absurd simpleton family that find the smallest things amazing (like when they go on holiday to Boonie Doon. That cracks me up, as it is probably one of the ugliest places Australia has to offer), yet the wholesome and loving family values that shine through the family.In honesty, we could all take a leaf out of the Kerrigan family's book and appreciate the simpler things in life, as much as they do.If you watch this Australian classic film with an open mind to Australian humor, I truly believe that anybody could enjoy it. It has so many great one-liners and all of the characters have been cast so perfectly. Stephen Curry is going quite well in cinema these days, taking on much more serious roles! Give the Castle a go. It's a ripper!
Qtantoba
This remains one of the classics of Australian film-making. The comedy is brilliant, the human story beautifully told.The basic and sparse way in which this film was shot throws the emphasis onto the emotional drama, and also the comedy. There is not a lot of music, which means the emphasis is cast on the dialogue, which is where the genius of this film lays. The speech is so simple that it becomes a thousand times more powerful than lengthy, contrived speeches. It means that Darryl's plain views and opinions are expressed purely. What this also adds to the story is the ability to incorporate humour into every situation. The sparse dialogue allows the generation of an incredible amount of one-liners. It is one of the most quoted and easily quotable films in Australia, and if not the world, that is just because of its lower popularity.It's also a classic underdog story; the David and Goliath. Everyone loves to see the Aussie battler triumph against all odds. This is a perfect example.The acting is also a master-class in understatement. The characters are made impossibly believable by top-notch performances by great Australian actors, like Michael Caton and the legendary Bud Tingwell. The actors bring to life these stereotypes of Australian suburban life.All together it is a fantastic movie, and the last great Australian film. Since then, the market has been flooded by art-house dramas about single parents from immigrant backgrounds with drug problems, a child who hates them and an alcoholic partner they just met. It is a shining example of what Australian film-making can be.
snowy_albino
When I was young, there were several movies, such as "Liar, Liar", that I only enjoyed for the unsophisticated, slapstick parts, but as I grew up, I could appreciate the witty, sophisticated jokes peppered throughout. As a kid, I did not understand "The Castle" at all. Now that I'm older, it is my favourite comedy. Why? Because it ingeniously combines complex comedy and emotion, and has a delightful, incredibly subtle tongue-in-cheek approach. It challenges you to think how it could be better, but is totally victorious.The characters are deliciously authentic and astonishingly likable, from the clueless Dennis Denuto to the almost unrealistically optimistic father. The dialogue is superbly witty, and the level of joy and heartbreak throughout is wonderfully affecting.Perfect.
AD
