Gina Reilly and Jane Turner are considered to be television comedy royalty in Australia, largely due to their TV series on which this film is based. However before that they made names for themselves on sketch comedy shows that are very highly regarded. But this experience could have been their downfall. Gina and Jane's writing experience is in television so I do not think they were properly equipped to handle a film script. Judging by the film's credits they have used the same team that they used to make the television series. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. On the one hand you have a group of people who know the characters and their story quite well so are equipped to know what they can and can't do. I do not know the full behind the scenes story but I think the women needed some outside help with the script and getting it up to full cinematic quality. The premise of a fairy tale is quite sweet and cute but the plot and general story is quite weak. and not enough to sustain a feature film. An example of this is the inclusion of two characters that Gina and Jane also play called Prude and Trude. These characters are wasted and get occasional scenes where all they seem to do is show off their ridiculous upper class accents. It would have been better if they had their a plot or one which either mirrored or added to the main plot with Kath and Kim. As it is, all they are there for is to pad out the main plot. Another annoying element for me was the way they tried to find a way to keep Kel and Brett at home. Kel for some reason in the film is afraid of flying. He can't even go to the airport cause it frightens him. But in the TV series there was an episode where they go to a Queensland resort which I'm assuming he would have flown to. There is another episode where Kath and Kel spend a holiday stuck at the airport. I would not have minded them keeping Kel at home but they should have come up with a better way of doing it that stayed true to the TV series. Another example of lazing writing.
The core cast are excellent and know these characters so well that they give wonderful performances. All Jane Turner seems to do these days is play Kath and while I love her in that role I'd prefer to see her do more. Gina Reilly though is one of my all time favourite comedic actresses in Australia. Kim is a really horrid woman and Gina manages to play that quality to a degree that she is able to bring out the funny side of it so that you don't hate her completely. As mentioned above the characters of Kel and Brett are sidelined for most of the film. This is disappointing as Glenn Robbins and Peter Rowsthorn are excellent actors who deserved better. I heard that Richard E Grant is such a huge fan of the TV series that he agreed to do this film before reading the script. I think he should have read the script first. His character has some cute quirks but is not fully realized. Magda Szubanski is not only one of the best comedic actresses who ever lived but comes across as a wonderful person too. Recently she came out of the closet so I'm not sure if Gina and Jane decided to make Sharon gay as a result of this but I did not like that they did this. I know they would need a character arc or plot for Sharon but I'm disappointed once again that they went with the obvious. I think that Magda is a good enough actor that as a gay person she can play a heterosexual character. Rob Sitch is another excellent performer who is not given decent material. The film is almost worth seeing for a cameo appearance by comedian Frank Woodley.
It is very disappointing when television stars are unable to make the leap to the big screen. I expected so much more from a group of comedians who I hold in very high regard.
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