The Castle (1997)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Rob Sitch

Writers:

Santo Cilauro (written by)
Tom Gleisner (written by)

Release Date:

7 May 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Ordinary Family. Extraordinary Story.

Plot:

A Melbourne family is very happy living where they do, near the Melbourne airport (according to Jane Kennedy...

Plot Keywords:

Airport | Prison | Court Case | Photocopier | Aviation

Awards:

2 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Michael Caton	...	Darryl Kerrigan
Anne Tenney	...	Sal Kerrigan
Stephen Curry	...	Dale Kerrigan
Anthony Simcoe	...	Steve Kerrigan
Sophie Lee	...	Tracy Kerrigan
Wayne Hope	...	Wayne Kerrigan
Tiriel Mora	...	Dennis Denuto
Eric Bana	...	Con Petropoulous
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell	...	Lawrence Hammill
Robyn Nevin	...	Federal Court Judge
Costas Kilias	...	Farouk
Bryan Dawe	...	Ron Graham
Monty Maizels	...	Jack
Lynda Gibson	...	Evonne
John Benton	...	Mr. Lyle

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG (TV rating) (censored) | Malaysia:U | UK:15 | Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Company:

Working Dog

Trivia:

On Miramax's US poster, writer/creator Santo Cilauro's name is misspelled "Cilaurio".

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the characters have their final appeal to the High Court of Australia, it is before 5 Justices. However in reality, when a constitutional dispute is brought before the High Court, all 7 Justices will sit (known as the Full Bench).

Quotes:

Darryl Kerrigan: Dad, he reckons powerlines are a reminder of man's ability to generate electricity.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "20 to 1: 50 to 01: Great Movie One Liners (#4.10)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Love Will Keep Us Together

Funnier than Spinal Tap?

This is undoubtedly one of the funniest films ever made, and needs to be considered alongside This is Spinal Tap for consistent and enduring brilliance. That said, if (as another reviewer has said here) you haven't laughed after 5 minutes, just give up - it isn't for you.

While Tap has muted backhanded affection for heavy rock while simultaneously ripping into its absurdities, The Castle completely LOVES its characters as much as it makes them look utterly ridiculous. The entire cast are superb, there are a hundred quotable lines, and the simple story may seem clichéd, but is nevertheless executed to warm-hearted perfection. A special nod should go to Tiriel Mora as inept solicitor Dennis Denuto, who has the ability to make you cry with laughter on the 10th viewing.

No family has less taste or less of a clue about, well, anything than the Kerrigans. And yet by the end, there is no family you'd rather belong to.

This film, most definitely, is going straight to the pool room.