PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

btm1 I saw the film on TV with the title "Introducing the Dwights." I guess that is because the film is about the Dwight family. I think the original Clubland title is more descriptive, because the story involves entertainers who work the club circuit for little money.The family members that share a home are a divorced mother, Jean (Brenda Blethyn), and two sons. The boys father has his own home. The mother works as a cook at a diner but also has a career as a stand up comic. Before her marriage she had been something of a rising star in England, but moving with her husband to Australia and the birth of her children killed her career, which she is trying to resurrect. One son, Tim (Khan Chittenden), has a job as a mover, is still a virgin. Jean leans on him for support and is fearful that he is at an age when some girl will take him away from her. The other son, Mark (Richard Wilson) is slightly brain damaged but treated by Jean as if he is severely retarded. The father works as a security guard but is a singer who a long time ago had a single hit record.Although the parent's efforts to resurrect their careers is one thread, a second is Tim's "coming of age" problems. A third thread is spastic Mark, who also leans on Tim for support and is sort of bounced around like a cork floating in water. These threads are skillfully interwoven, with the major conflict being Tim's effort to get free from the mother he doesn't want to hurt.There are no dull moments in this movie. There is humor and pathos. I thought the acting is terrific, especially Brenda Blethyn and Richard Wilson.My only quibble is that I thought Tim's girlfriend and her room mate were too hip and too hot to be interested in the shy Tim. Perhaps Australian girls have a hard time finding decent young men.

Gordon-11 This film is about a middle aged woman, who goes through life changes in her career and her family structure."Clubland" can hardly be described as a comedy. I did not find it a tiny bit funny. Not even the deliberate and contrived plot of Jeannie being a comedian could save it. It's simply not fun to watch Jeannie making everyone's lives miserable. The ending is rather bad, as Jeannie makes a complete change of heart for no apparent reason.I must say Brenda Blethyn is good, and Emma Booth is really beautiful. However, these strengths are not enough to save "Clubland" from being a complete bore.

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.

jonathanbray-1 ...with a great Sundance festival story. While attending the 2007 Sundance Film Festival (living in Utah means easy access to the Festival) I had the opportunity to meet the Australian agent for Emma Booth. Random seating at the restaurant for lunch placed my brother and myself next to a charming woman and as we began to converse she spoke of her work at the festival (at Sundance everyone is promoting something). Of course, this person was representing "the next big star" and encouraged us to check out the movie Clubland. When you hear that kind of thing one must always take it with a grain of salt and just smile and nod... Well, this woman was so utterly charming and genuinely friendly that we decided to make the effort and spend our Sunday afternoon committed to the "wait list" for this film. Clubland delivered... great performances, a great story and a wonderful cast of future stars. I actually felt invested in the characters within the first 5-10 minutes. It is rare that a chance recommendation turns out to be true but this is one of those moments when our time spent to see this film was worth every minute. Thanks for recommending such a wonderful film and watch for Emma Booth, after viewing this performance she really is "the next big star".