Somehow director P.J. Hogan balances broad comedy, subtle satire and painful melodrama all in the same film. In this story about misfits, everyone, even the popular girls, look like freaks. One could say that the message is that we need to find a fellow misfit that matches or compliments our individual quirks. It also strongly argues that we reap what we sow.
Muriel Heslop (Toni Collette, THE SIXTH SENSE) is a frumpy overweight 20-something who draws a lot of unflattering attention to herself with her tight flashy clothes and high-pitched cackle. She hangs around with a group of bleach-blonde idiots who have decided that she makes them look bad so they will no longer allow her to be around them. She often lives in a fantasy world featuring a soundtrack filled with Abba songs. Her father Bill (Bill Hunter, STRICTLY BALLROOM) is a politician in her small town of Porpoise Spit, Australia. He belittles his slacker children and his nearly comatose wife Betty (Jeanie Drynan) in front of strangers. So, we don't really mind that much when Muriel takes a blank check from him and heads out on holiday to a tropic island where her former friends have gone. There she meets Rhonda Epinstalk (Rachel Griffiths, TV's SIX FEET UNDER), a kindred oddball spirit. But Muriel's compulsive lying and immature desire to show up her snobby enemies threatens her only real friendship.
Collette launched her career with this amazing vanity-free performance. She delves into the role completely. I remember so distinctly thinking that she was such an oddball that she wouldn't do much else because she would be limited in her range. I'm glad that I wasn't a casting agent, because is retrospect the tics that came off so naturally where all part of the performance. Collette was brave enough to put herself out there and look bad, not just physically, but as a character who one might loose sympathy for. But P.J. Hogan never allows us to stop liking her even when she makes the wrong decisions. We understand what she's running from and know down deep that she isn't a bad person. Her friendship with Rhonda brings out life in her, which allows us to see that she's better than her dad's low opinion. Griffiths performance is exciting and funny, bringing the right energy that the film needs, as well as Muriel.
When tragedy strikes, Hogan handles it well. With Muriel running from a bad home life and cruel friends underlying every scene from the start, a dark cloud hangs over the production, making unexpected dark turns fell natural to the narrative. Even though she wants life to always be like an Abba song, sometimes the cosmic DJ plays a dirge. It's how Muriel reacts to these problems that makes the film so interesting. She's a wounded girl who is desperate to get something good out of life and has to learn that growing up means taking the fantasy blinders off.
This is a comedy that really makes one laugh. The great part is that some of the subtler stuff might be missed upon the first viewing. But it's there waiting for you when you come back to it. And you'll probably want to come back, because Collette's Muriel is unforgettable. This film has that uplifting spirit, but doesn't forget that life isn't "Dancing Queen" all the time.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
