Deborah Kennedy Movies
Based on the true story of a youth from Brisbane, Australia, who overcame family dysfunction to become a world-class athlete, director Russell Mulcahy's drama centers on young Tony Fingleton's (Jesse Spencer) relationship with his distant father, Harold (Geoffrey Rush), and the dedication it took to win his respect. Born into a large family and convinced by his father that he will never amount to the achievements of his brothers, Tony attempts to win his father's respect by becoming a champion swimmer. Despite his best efforts to please his father, Tony also begins to realize his own self-worth in the process. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, (more)
Guy (Richard Roxburgh), a lonely bachelor, meets the woman of his dreams in Lizzie (Cate Blanchett), an impossibly beautiful doctor with elegance, style, and sophistication. Their six-week courtship leads to marriage, and the wedding is a big one, with 100 guests and a posh reception that never ends. It's during the reception that Guy begins to have flashbacks -- and second thoughts -- about Jenny (Frances O'Connor), the free-spirited woman who was his first love and who is the opposite of Lizzie. The more he thinks about warm and fun-loving Jenny, the more he sees Lizzie as cold and remote. Although it's a little late in the game to be getting cold feet, that's exactly what Guy has.
~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Roxburgh, Cate Blanchett, (more)
Low-down and earthy, this Australian comedy, the sophomore effort from director David Caesar, tells the tale of two jobless Sydney slackers who try to become bank robbers. Though they could be out looking hard for work, Kev and Mick prefer to wile their days away drinking beer and watching crime dramas on television. They only show motivation when they run out of suds, though Kev does occasionally take time have sex with his girlfriend Betty on the living room couch in between shows. Mick is attracted to Lani, the pretty virgin who works in their favorite drive-through liquor store. It doesn't take long for Mick to steal Lani away from her older brother's overprotective eye and become her lover. Shortly thereafter Mick and Kev, feeling they have learned all they can from the telly, begin plotting their first heist. Unfortunately, a pair of robbers dressed as clowns rob the boys' intended bank before they do and this brings in a pair of detectives. Throw in the obstacles presented by the neighborhood crime lord, and the stage is set for the story's darkly humorous conclusion. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Heads are a poppin' everywhere in this Australian private-eye movie that combines elements of horror and science fiction. Dirk Trent is not the classic movie PI. He fat, clumsy, and nerdy. While tracking down a woman's unfaithful husband, his assistant films what at first seems to be the husband murdering his secretary in a cheap motel. Upon closer examination, Trent deduces that the husband didn't kill her because his head exploded first. Soon he discovers a whole series of people whose heads have blown-up. His investigations lead him to Dr. Henderson who has been conducting odd experiments to cure brain tumors. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Chubb, Les Foxcroft, (more)
Three years before he became a household name in Hollywood with 1997's L.A. Confidential, Russell Crowe starred in this Australian drama, the directorial debuts of Geoff Burton and Kevin Dowling. Crowe plays Jeff Mitchell, a young gay man and the son of widower Harry Mitchell (Jack Thompson). The two live together while they both search for a special someone with whom to spend their lives. And while Harry is more than comfortable with Jeff's sexuality, his new lady friend isn't, leading to tension and a personal struggle for Harry. Based on the play by screenwriter David Stevens, The Sum of Us was the 1994 recipient of the Austalian Film Institute's Best Adapted Screenplay award. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Thompson, Russell Crowe, (more)
- 1990
Carl Fitzgerald (Sam Neill) is a shy, unassertive man, given to following orders from anyone around him who will take the trouble to boss him about, starting with his nagging mother. In this story, he is very much down on his luck and is forced to take a job as dishwasher in a Greek restaurant in Brunswick, his rundown neighborhood in Melborne. There, he swifly is hauled off to bed by an assertive young waitress. While he is with the girl, he accidentally kills his co-worker, a hysterically abusive and drug-dealing Turk, He calls on his old friend Dave for help in disposing of the man's body. The best solution Dave can come up with is to dump the body in another person's grave, but he manages to boss Carl around a lot in the process. And even Dave's wife gives Carl what-for, lambasting him for his overall uselessness. Somehow, despite his passivity, Carl manages to seem like the ultimate victor in all these confrontations. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Zoe Carides, (more)
- 1989
When a shopping mall and suburban homes are built on land sacred to the Aborigines, a curse envelopes the residents. The victims are rich kids who dream a Native Australian hands them a magic crystal. When they awaken, the crystal is on the pillow, and the curse begins to take its toll on the spoiled teens. One young man falls victim to a deadly spider, another is killed by an eel while swimming, and yet another young woman dies a horrible death after being ripped apart by a demonic dog. The remaining teens' one hope of survival is an Aboriginal shaman, the only one capable of opposing the stone's deadly power. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zoe Carides, Tom Jennings, (more)
- 1985
Empty Beach brings Australian novelist Peter Corris' detective hero Cliff Hardy to the big screen. F/X star Bryan Brown plays Hardy, who this time around is hired to confirm or disprove the reported death of a millionaire. Hardy confers with journalist Brian Henneberry (Clifford Tate), who has some potentially explosive evidence -- and who, inevitably, is murdered before he can talk. The trail of evidence runs hot and cold, thanks to a gaggle of suspects and hangers-on who aren't revealing everything that they know. Co-starring in Empty Beach is Anna Maria Monticelli, aka Anna Jemison. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bryan Brown, Anna Maria Monticelli, (more)
Based on a novel by Colleen McCullough (The Thorn Birds), this "May-December romance" stars Piper Laurie as Mary Horton, a lonely middle-aged American career woman who hires a handsome, mildly retarded young handyman named Tim (played by 22-year-old Mel Gibson in his third screen role). At first keeping her distance, Mary is drawn closer to Tim as the days pass. When Tim's mother dies, Mary becomes his surrogate mother, a relationship that deepens into romantic love. Tim's older sister Dawn (Deborah Kennedy) resents Mary's "intrusion" into their lives, but Tim's dad Ron (Alwyn Kurts) blesses the relationship, realizing that it is beneficial to both parties. Director Michael Pate avoids all opportunities to cheapen or sensationalize the material; while Tim and Mary do end up in bed, it is a sweet moment, not a prurient one. Tim was produced for Australian television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Piper Laurie, Mel Gibson, (more)
