Crackerjack [M]

Bowls. It’s a game of patience, strategy, skill and … patience. Which is why you’d never expect a rough-edged drifter like Jack Simpson to be a member of the local Bowls Club. As it turns out, Jack’s only a member for the great parking spots, which he makes a little back-alley money out of by hiring his pass out to his “clients”. But when the Club falls on hard times, Jack is coerced into pulling his weight that comes with the membership by working at the bar and playing the occasional roll. As the Club creeps gradually towards closure, it becomes apparent that their only hope of survival is to get a cracker team together and win the local tournament, getting the prize money that can save their skins. When Jack makes the team, he treats it as a joke, but as the severity of the situation becomes very real Jack rises to the challenge of the game, discovering that he’s a natural in the process. 

This is a great little Aussie flick, proudly displaying Australia’s flare for subtle, but at the same time, confronting and emotional comedy. You won’t find far-fetched stories and adventures in the Australian comedy repertoire, but stories that are right down to earth and filled with very real characters and very real scenarios. Crackerjack is no exception to this formality.

Bowls. It’s a game of patience, strategy, skill and … patience. Which is why you’d never expect a rough-edged drifter like Jack Simpson to be a member of the local Bowls Club. As it turns out, Jack’s only a member for the great parking spots, which he makes a little back-alley money out of by hiring his pass out to his “clients”. But when the Club falls on hard times, Jack is coerced into pulling his weight that comes with the membership by working at the bar and playing the occasional roll. As the Club creeps gradually towards closure, it becomes apparent that their only hope of survival is to get a cracker team together and win the local tournament, getting the prize money that can save their skins. When Jack makes the team, he treats it as a joke, but as the severity of the situation becomes very real Jack rises to the challenge of the game, discovering that he’s a natural in the process.

I think what I really loved about this quirky little film is that there’s no obvious drama or comedy about it Everything is very subtle and real and the film thrives on its clever writing and the performances from its cast. There’s no obvious hilarity like Cool Runnings and no open, root-for-us defiance like in Strictly Ballroom. What makes Crackerjack the cracker of a film it is is the fact that all its characters and the events that take place are very commonplace and natural. As a result you’re really relating to these characters and empathising with them when they’re put in certain situations. Most of this is achieved through the film’s very clever writing and its cast. It’s classic.
Starring Mick Molloy, Judith Lucy, Bill Hunter, Frank Wilson, Monica Maughan, Lois Ramsey, Samuel Johnson, and John Clarke, Crackerjack is a great little comedy filled with booze, scams, corruption, drugs, bowls, drama, romance, and comedy. I really loved this little flick, it’s great.