Sure, we've all seen the antics of Little Britain,
and we all know what a good make-up department and a catch phrase or
two will do for a career - but with the remarkable performances from
Chris Lilley and his multi award winning debut program, We Can Be Heroes, you get so much more. This
fictional mockumentary (although, when it first aired, a good portion
of viewers thought it was real....Come on people - he doesn't even look
slightly Asian!) follows five contestants all vying for a nomination
to become the Australian of the Year. It takes us through their back
story, it takes us through their dreams and hopes, it takes us through
their most embarrassing moments - and amazingly, for a comedy - let's us
see their most vulnerable moments. Lilley is superb. There is no
question about it. He is meticulous about his craft, he is a
perfectionist when it comes to his characters - and every inch of
research he has done (he ` spend 2 months hanging around a
group of high school girls to get into character) - shows in what can
only be described as the most remarkable televisual feat ever seen on
Australian TV. Unlike Britain or even Kath & Kim,
who are so over the top with their performances, Lilley prefers the more
subtle strand of humour (much akin to the first series of The Office) where the deluded nature of each of his easily believable characters is the source of the humour. There
are so many layers to pick up throughout several viewings of the
series. There's the immediate laughs - for example: the Historical
Aboriginal Musical "Indigeridoo" as performed by the Chinese Musical
Theatre group, teenager Ja'mie King's solution to hunger in Somalia is
to "Eat More" or Mother Pat Mullins screaming "I have a gum nut up my
nose" while attempting to roll across Perth. And as for the deeper, not-so-obvious bits and pieces, keep an eye out for
at least one reference to Rove [Live] in each episode. An
amazing feat in comedy, and proof that despite all the clip shows and
junk currently being thrown at us on commercial TV, there is still a
load of local Australian talent bubbling under the surface. DVD
Extras When
first released on DVD (the original print sold out days after being
released) I was surprised by how little was included on the DVD Extras.
No Commentary? Surely this would be a prime target for a commentary... Sadly, this re-release (no doubt out in stores to coincide with the premiere of Lilley's latest TV venture Summer Heights High based on the Mr. G character which first appeared in the short lived series' Big Bite and Hamish and Andy) doesn't contain a skerrick of director commentary either. The
new disc includes a few additional extras that didn't appear on the
original release including some new deleted scenes and bloopers, a
"Making of" featurette (which always seems to keep Lilley at a safe
distance from the action), Ricky Wong's hilarious performance of
"Indigeridoo" at the Logies and a few of the supporting cast's
auditions. A superb series, and a must have for those who have
yet to add this to their collection - however, unless you're an extreme
Lilley die hard - the new disc (and double dozen page booklet) probably
doesn't reach the potential it should to warrant another purchase. But if you're all new to this 'Heros' stuff - this one's a bloody ripper! Conclusion:
Movie 85% Extras: 70% 
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