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Long Story Short

Phil Kafcaloudes

Six months ago there were plenty of stories in the media predicting that COVID would destroy the Australian film industry.

If so then this premature death is taking a while to happen. This month saw the release of several new Australian films that have been critically applauded such as The Dry. Joining them this week is Long Story Short which is one of the most artistically successful Australian romantic comedies since Death in Brunswick. Australian actor Josh Lawson pinned the script and directed, a combination that doesn't always work but in this case the synergy between the script, the deliveries of his very clever lines and the snappy editing make this movie a classic-to-be.

The film centres on the theme of time and the wastage of it. Teddy is a somewhat self-obsessed young man who is just starting out on his marital journey. But he wakes after only a few hours as a new husband to find that a year has passed. This is where the science fiction elements of the story really don't stack up: apparently he has been doing everything with his wife and his job in that year but the Teddy who wakes remembers none of it and to him he's only had a short nap.

Click the photo to see the trailer

The story flies along because he only has a few minutes before he is again cast forward one year. This happens to him 10 times. For this scenario to make sense we have to ask what’s happened to the other Ted - the one who experienced all those 12 months. Has Teddy forgotten it all? Has he developed an odd amnesia? No, that’s not the premise. It’s a bit of a hole, and a little distracting, but again The Walking Dead’s premise was preposterous, and that didn’t hurt the box office or the entertainment of it. And Long Story Short is a heap of fun, with this most unusual and original story giving Lawson plenty of scope to weave in a series of slightly tangential storylines including a touching one involving local comedian/actor Ronnie Chieng as Teddy’s best friend.

Chieng's presence adds another layer that is at times hilarious and poignant. But the central story is about Teddy, who sees the mess of the family in the life that he has made with each passing year. He is unable to understand how the situation could change this way.

It is a thoughtful script that always has a sense of the what-ifs about it. It is also thought-provoking in that it has you question your life over the past year. Is it better than it was? Have you done what you wanted? Have you wasted time? Have you hurt others? In a way this film is a good whack on the side of the head.

Rafe Spall

Teddy is played by Rafe Spall (The Big Short, The Life of Pi) with superb comic timing. Spall’s interpretation of Lawson’s script follows in the style of Hugh Grant or his own father Timothy in moulding a fully formed characterisation which will live in the minds of cinemagoers for a long time. His wife is played by VCA graduate Zahra Newman (Wentworth, Rush) whose synergy with Spall makes or breaks this film. It makes it. As does Noni Hazelhurst who is the catalyst for the storyline. Noni has been in a fair bit of work lately and this film shows she only gets better with each film.

You get that sense right from the snappy 1950s-inspired titles through to the denouement that Long Story Short is a film that should take its place in the Australian movie history. It's that good.

Long Story Short opens today (February 11) at Palace Kino Cinemas, Hoyts Melbourne Central, Village Cinemas Crown

L-R Dena Kaplan, Ronny Chieng, Josh Lawson, Rafe Spall, Zahra Newman

Wonder Woman

John Coomans

Wonder Woman 1984 is the cinematic equivalent of chocolate chip cookies made by your mum who’s not very good at baking. It’s a bit of a mess, but there’s some thoroughly enjoyable bits, and the whole thing is made with love.

Director Patty Jenkins returns after the surprise hit of the first Wonder Woman, this time donning a writers cap as well, with mixed results. Also returning is Gal Gadot (naturally) as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince, and Chris Pine as the endlessly affable Steve Trevor. To say that the performances and chemistry of those two make the movie would be an understatement.

Joining the cast on the villainous side is Pedro Pascal as 80s business guy Maxwell Lord, and Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva, aka “Cheetah”. Kristen Wiig can do no wrong and is both convincing and enjoyable in her transformation from the bumbling and awkward Barbara to the secondary villain, even if her actual “transformation” into Cheetah is somewhat lacklustre. Pedro Pascal chews the scenery like a man starved and depending on the type of person you are you’ll either find his over the top performance a lot of fun or deeply irritating.

Personally I enjoyed all the performances, every actor is giving their all and seems to be giving it with genuine enthusiasm. Where the movie falls down is in its plot and structure. The goals and motivations of characters, particularly the villain, are never made entirely clear.

The movie flits along between set pieces of Diana and Steve exploring the 80s setting, filled with genuine fun (Chris Pine’s performance shines as his WWI pilot character visits the Air and Space museum and sees the Space Shuttle), some engaging action scenes, including an opening sequence on Themyscira, and somewhat awkward lurches through the actual plot.

The stakes are raised not in a steady ratchet but by leaps and bounds. This lurching culminates in a daily disappointing climax, a dimly lit punch up and a speech about truth and hope, par for the course for DC films at this point, unfortunately. And not even Hans Zimmer’s brilliant score can distract from some of the noticeably shonky visual effects.

Overall, the movie leaves a lot to be desired, but it’s in no way without merit. If you’re a fan of this character, and go in expecting a bit of a mess, you’ll probably be in for a good time.

Gal Gadot

Kristen Wiig and Gal Gadot

For further information or advertising contact
Alan Davidson (Publisher)
E: davopr@bigpond.net.au
M: 0410 518 034