CLUBLAND
Director: Cherie Nowlan Stars: Brenda Blethyn, Khan Chittenden, Emma Booth, Russell Dykstra, Frankie J Holden, Richard Wilson, Philip Quast
Reviewed by PETER MALONE
The Clubland of the title includes the clubs in and around Sydney. Brenda Blethyn plays Jean, an ageing mother, who remembers that she might have made it big in stand-up comedy back in England when she was young. But, she fell in love with an Australian singer (Frankie J. Holden), moved away from home, had two children, one mentally handicapped, Mark, and separated. She now works with friends at a canteen. At night, her other son, Tim, drives her to clubs where she goes through her routines – she knows how to play this kind of veteran club audiences who enjoy the old (and risqué) routines. Her son acts as chauffeur, coach, reviewer, flatterer and general support.
This way of life has to come to a head.
The crisis is precipitated when Tim (Khan Chittenden) is attracted to a young woman (Emma Booth, who won the AFI Supporting Actress award for this performance) who uses his truck-moving company (himself) to transfer furniture. His mother has thwarted his past relationships. This time he takes a stand and seeks support from his father. Meanwhile, his mother puts on turns, tantrums and pleads the case for his looking after Mark (Richard Wilson). At the same time, her agent (Russell Dykstra) organises a big audition and an old flame (Philip Quast) turns up to support her.
Plenty of plot – though not unfamiliar.
Actually, the whole thing is a bit too raucous. Maybe we have seen Brenda Blethyn do this kind of thing before (most noticeably – and even more monstrously – in Little Voice). Maybe it is too much a rough and ready show and it is a bit hard to empathise with the characters, though Khan Chittenden is good as the put-upon son and Richard Wilson does his best as the impaired Mark. Frankie J. Holden is always a genial screen presence. However, we do leave the film cheered up as Jean has something of a change of heart and everybody sings and kicks up their heels at the final wedding sequence.