Any Questions For Ben?

Working Dog are an Australian production company that has made some of the best TV shows ever made. They have also made a couple of Aussie film classics. This is their latest project.

The Working Dog team consist of Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch, with some input from Jane Kennedy. I have been a fan of this team ever since I first saw them on television in the early 1980's when they were part of a comedy team called The D-Generation. In the early 90's they made the brilliant comedy show 'The Late Show', then in the late 90's they branched off as what we now know as Working Dog and made one of the best Australian TV shows ever made 'Frontline'. As well as making one of the most beloved Australian films of all time 'The Castle'. This is only the tip of the iceberg for some of the things they have made. Let's just say that I am an unquestionable fan of everything that they do. I think they might have found a failing.

The team have tried to make a romantic comedy but I don't think they are the right guys to do it. They have tried to make something a bit different to the normal rom-com but they did not make it quite right. The plot is pretty conventional with a young man questioning his free-wheeling lifestyle before finding a girl he likes. The main problem is that it is far too long. It takes ages for Ben to meet the girl, Alex, then he spends the rest of the movie deciding if he really wants to be with her. Ben's love of his bachelor life is obviously the obstacle that is keeping him from being with Alex but it takes so long to get there. Towards the end of the film it was becoming so incredibly tedious that I became really bored. You know they are going to end up together (sorry if that's a spoiler but we all knew that's what happens with these films) so just get it over with. I don't mind a character being conflicted but there comes a time when there is too much conflict. Despite this there are some very funny moments and enjoyable supporting characters. Even if there are far too many of them.

The Working Dog team have assembled a cast that is comprised mostly of friends who have worked on their previous projects. It has been revealed that the film is loosely based on lead actor Josh Lawson's real life. He is quite a charming actor and has a nicely dry sense of humour. But he is ostensibly playing himself so maybe there is not much 'acting' involved.Rachel Taylor is very good but I felt her character got a bit short-shifted. I felt she need to have a bit more to do rather than just appear occasionally as the object of affection. There are however some excellent members of the support cast. I thought Felicity Ward was the best thing in the film. I loved her sarcastic humour. Daniel Henshall gave an incredibly creepy performance in 'Snowtown' so its great to see that he can play light hearted characters as well. Rob Carlton is excellent as Ben's father but he looks far too young to play Josh's dad. I am also a fan of Ed Kavalee and found him to be very funny here. I am also a big fan of Lachy Hulme but I found his character to be unnecessary.

As a huge fan of the film's makers I may have been willing to overlook some of the films failings. But there are just far too many for me to forgive. I very big disappointment for me.