Kath and Kim aren't comedy characters any more, they’re celebrities.
Gina Reilly and Jane Turner’s suburban stereotypes first appeared on sketch show Big Girl's Blouse in 1994.
Slightly less well known is that first appearance was in a parody of a wedding reality show. Even the first series of Kath & Kim had a mockumentary approach and overall story arc that went some way towards structuring what was otherwise little more than a bunch of funny fights and sharp suburban observations.
But since then the characters have pretty much been adrift – still funny in their own right, but with no growth or development either in their situations or their relationships.
They’re celebrities : they don’t have to do anything, just showing up is enough. Which is why it’s no surprise this film’s plot is so thin : Turner’s Kath and Reilly’s Kim (plus Madga Szubanski’s Sharon) head off to the tiny fictional Spanish outpost of Papilloma on the heel of Italy.
There Kath is preyed upon by local king Javier (Rob Sitch) as Kim and Sharon clump about being spied upon by the masked prince (Erin Mulally). Papilloma is a generic “foreign” country where starving peasants and 80′s disco are the main attributes so there’s no comedy to be had there, and while Rob Sitch is clearly the finest comedy actor of his generation – within an extremely narrow performing range, mind you – he plays a generic sleazy type who’s not all that interesting.
The magic of Kath & Kim is the interactions between Kath & Kim: in this film they’re barely seen together. Fortunately, pretty much the entire cast is rolled gold – Richard E Grant has a great line in eye-rolling, Marg Downey has fun reprising her dodgy therapist and Mick Molloy appears in footage that probably comes from the TV series – while Glenn Robbins' naked arse once again makes an appearance for those keeping score.
The very idea of Sitch and Robbins having a swordfight is hilarious for those of a certain comedy vintage (even if the actual swordfight is hardly shown), and the cutaway moments following Reilly and Turner’s other creations Pru and Trude are always fun.
Even the running joke about Sharon’s sexuality doesn’t feel overplayed.
Kath & Kimderella is a mess, but it’s the kind of mess you’d expect from Fountain Lake’s two most famous residents: here’s hoping after this Turner and Reilly give them a real rest.
In a word : Bland.
2.5 out of 5
Kath & Kimderella Australian release: 6th September, 2012 Official Site:Kath & Kimderella Cast: Jane Turner, Gina Riley, Magda Szubanski, Glenn Robbins & Peter Rowsthorn Director: Ted Emery
