Rock 'n' Roll Nerd

Review by Anthony Morris

Musical comedy can be a bit of a dodgy area.

A joke that wouldn't stand up on its own can get laughs simply by being stuck into a song that - if it wasn't funny - would be dismissed before the first chorus. 

Tim Minchin gets around that problem by being both extremely funny and extremely musically talented (his DVD, So Live, is well worth checking out), but even if you don't know his work this documentary deserves your attention for a whole variety of reasons.

For one, it is a pretty good introduction on its own to his work, peppered through as it is with his songs.

For another, despite being one of those documentaries made when a would-be film-maker just starts filming a subject all the time with fingers crossed that a film will eventually appear, it's actually a pretty decent look at fame, as it follows Minchin from his days as an unknown and visually unimpressive cabaret act to a skinny, macsara'd musical comedy sensation sweeping the UK. 

In laying out the steps of his career rise (he puts on a smash show at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, which gets him noticed and invited to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he puts on another smash show, and so on) this builds into a surprisingly comprehensive picture of the stresses and luck that go into making it creatively. 

It is also a candid character study, as Minchin talks freely about his desire to be liked and the angst of not being able to support his family (his wife is in some ways the real star of this film) alongside making the tough decisions required to actually have a decent career. 

It would have been nice to have a bit of analysis of Minchin's work thrown in here. For a guy who wants to be liked he does do some fairly confronting anti-religion material in his shows, which isn't touched on here at all - there is a bit of a subtext about body image (Minchin is very aware of the need to make a good impression visually, hence the diets and the eye make-up, and he performs songs both about his body and fat kids).

A film for those who aren't content to simply sit back and have a good old laugh at a very funny man.

4 out of 5

Rock 'n' Roll Nerf
Australian release: Limited Staggered Release - Brisbane – October 23rd, Perth – November 13th,
Melbourne – November 20th, Sydney – December 4th.
Cast: Tim Michin
Director: Rhian Skirving