Horseplay
Review by Clint Morris
 One
doesn't need a photo finish to see that Horseplay is
nothing but an average movie.
The second Australian comedy of late to tackle foiled attempts
at rigging the Melbourne Cup, it offers little in structure,
an irresolute approach and a pointless bout of violence.
In fact the bar has been raised high thanks to other Australian
comedy gems like The Dish, The Castle, Crackerjack
and The Hard Word - that Stavros Kazantzidis' film
doesn't have much of a fighting chance. Which is a tad disappointing
because for a few moments there it looked to possess something
promising...
Max Mackendrick (Marcus Graham) is a chronic gambler, and
he'll do anything to win his beloved Melbourne Cup. In fact,
he has tried to rig it in the past and it's got him banned.
Down on his luck, down to his last dollar and persistently
receiving grief from his supercilious wife, he decides it's
time to get back in the game and comes up with an idea that'll
have him swimming in loot by the end of the day.
With the help of two hapless kidnappers, a insubordinate
teenager, a squalid neighbour and a groggy pal, the plan's
set in motion - but it's not going to come off anything like
planned.
With its combination of laughs and violence and its tendency
to intertwine characters, it is obvious Horseplay wants
to be Australia's answer to Pulp Fiction. Unfortunately,
it comes off more of a poor man's Two Hands or The
Hard Word. The Cops and Crims component may have worked
for the aforementioned films, but this is a film that dearly
needs that exercised.
If it'd played it a bit straighter, concentrating more on
the comedy, rather that all the gratuitous shelling and bloodshed,
we might have had a more valuable jaunt here. But the filmmakers
can't seem to decide which genre they want their film to fit,
throwing a bit of everything in. It may work for some; it
only makes this effort look messy.
The structure is probably the most inferior thing about the
movie. There's very little exposition at the beginning, and
a fairly indistinguishable middle - giving us no time to get
to know these characters or their motivations.
At the same time most of the main characters' actions just
seem improbable. It looks as if the film might have been heavily
edited too - with cast members like Jimeon being cut from
the film entirely.
But don't get me wrong, there may be a lot wrong with Horseplay
but there's also a lot right with it. There are several very
funny moments here; and most of the actors give brisk, likeable
performances, mainly Marcus Graham as the charismatic, but
luckless Max, and Jason Donovan as the sleazy and conceited
best friend.
Horseplay mightn't be a win for Australian comedy,
but it's still worthy enough for a 'Place'.
2.5 out of 5
Horseplay
Australian release: Thursday May 22nd
Cast: Marcus Graham, Tushka Bergen, Jason Donovan,
Craig Beamer, Abbie Cornish, Amanda Douge, Bill Hunter, Damien
Richardson, Terence Donovan, Natalie Mendoza.
Director: Stavros Kazantzidis.
Website: Click
here
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