Rating: 
Summary: a little cracker of a movie mate.
Review: I first heard good things about this "quirky little Aussie flick" a number of years ago but only got around to seeing it myself last night. What probably put me off (to be completely honest) was that it's an Australian film. And you know what they say about Aussies - they're all outlaw heathen scum, so what could they possibly know about making good movies. Right?Well knock me over with a didgeridoo mate - Rob Sitch has created a wee beauty of a film. Despite its Australian heritage, The Castle has bucket loads of charm and is a thoroughly entertaining movie with plenty of laughs and good feeling. After watching so many films in recent years about dysfunctional families (think American Beauty, Ice Strom, The Royal Tennebaums etc) it really is a treat to see such a positive depiction of family life. The Kerrigan's really are perfectly content with their lot in life. They might be simple but they do love each other, love their castle, support each other and laugh together. While others may look down their noses at this working class clan the Kerrigan's don't care (in fact, if the truth be known, they're probably too dumb to notice - as Aussies often are) because they have the greatest gift of all - a nurturing home. And strewth mate, who could want more than that! A couple of minor quibbles: although it is funny, the humor is more of the quirky Aussie variety and at times a bit too - well, Australian really. So while I found myself smiling through most of the movie, I wouldn't call The Castle a screaming comedy. It's more off-beat and quirky. Also, the final quarter of the film seems a little bit rushed to me. Things were looking tough for the Kerrigan's there at one stage and then all of a sudden (right out of the blue mate) comes a white knight to save the day. You beauty! Yeah, right. A little bit too easy me thinks. It's not a blockbuster by any stretch of the imagination but at least it knows its limitations. A warm, feel good movie that accomplishes what it sets out to do. Four stars mate.
Rating:
Summary: Typically Broad Aussie Comedy with a Warm Heart
Review: Rob Sitch has created a small comic gem in this unpretentious movie about an ordinary man's battle to save his family's home from compulsory annexation by the neighboring airport. Rife with the broad irreverent humor that practically defines the Aussies' national character (think of Paul Hogan's TV show or CROCODILE DUNDEE, or Baz Luhrmann's STRICTLY BALLROOM), the story manages to stay just one step ahead of farce. Though we can hardly take the characters seriously, they're good blokes nonetheless and it's easy to identify with their predicament. Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) is a good-natured family man who lives by simple principles. He values his home & family above all else in life. When the billion dollar corporation that owns the airport tries to oust him from his home, he just knows it isn't right. And he's too ignorant to know what he's up against when he decides to fight. Though chuckles abound throughout the film, real belly laughs are in order when his hapless lawyer (Tiriel Mora) challenges the constitutionality of 'compulsory acquisition' in court. (His legal argument will doubtless soon become a fixture in law schools throughout the English-speaking world.) In fact, the story offers a solid critique of common law just as incisive and nearly as funny as Jonathan Swift's scathingly satirical critique in Gulliver's Travels. And it's expressed so plainly and clearly that anyone should be able to understand it--even poor benighted Darryl Kerrigan, whose command of legal jargon may be slight, yet who knows in his heart when he's right. 3 1/2 stars for this feel-good little comedy with its heart in the right place.
Rating:
Summary: Darryl vs Goliath
Review: This was very funny little movie set in Australia about a close knit family and what happens when the wheels are set in motion by powerful forces to take their home away from them. Darryl Kerrigan and his family live in what most of us would probably call a ramshackle abode next to an airport. When I said right next to an airport, I mean the runway is practically in their backyard. The Kerrigan house is one of a four or five small houses built on this less than ideal tract of land, part of a development that never really got off the ground. All this matters not to the Kerrigans, as it's not just their house, but also their home. The plot centers around a large big business/government consortium taking the land that the Kerrigans' and the other's homes are on for further development of the airport. This is done by what is called 'compulsory acquisition', or a fancy way of saying someone has the right to force you out of your home and off your land for the common good. Seemingly fair compensation was offered, but Darryl wants no part of it, as he feels his house is his home, and memories and experiences cannot be bought and sold. His home is his castle, and so he organizes his neighbors and leads the fight to stop this seemingly unstoppable force. One of the great things about this movie was the optimism of the Kerrigans, especially Darryl. It was like they had no real concept of the type of opposition they faced, but this helped them in that they saw themselves as equals, deserving equal and fair treatment, while most probably would have been resigned to their fate, deciding that they couldn't fight big business/government. And it wasn't just their optimism in their legal battles, but in life in general. Things most people would take for granted or not even recognize, the Kerrigans valued and cherished. For example, living so close to an airport would certainly be undesirable to most, but to also have power lines in close proximity would scare anyone away. For the Kerrigans, living close to the airport means they got a real bargain on their house, and also if they ever wanted to take a trip, they could just walk to the airport. And as far as the power lines, Darryl seems them as a testament to the modern world, a mark of man's achievement. Another wonderful aspect to the movie was the relationships between the Kerrigan family members. While not always the brightest bulbs in the box, their hearts where always in the right place, and the family ties were strong and solid, based on love, respect and complete acceptance of each other. No one member seemed more important than the other, and they seemed to exist in virtual harmony. As Darryl and his family struggle with the idea of having to leave their home, Darryl ends up taking his case to the highest court, with a little help from an unlikely source. Do they get to stay or do they get forced out? See for yourself, as this is a charming and often hilarious film that demonstrates a man's home is truly his castle, and the lengths some are willing to go to protect the inalienable rights most take for granted. A nice wide screen presentation, there is very little in the way of extras, only a couple of trailers and some movie recommendations. I would recommend this to just about anyone looking for a funny, sweet, and engaging comedy.
Rating: 
Summary: Flat out hilarious
Review: Living where I live, there was zero chance of seeing this film in a theater so I bought the video on the recommendation of a friend from Australia (thanks Natalie). Turns out that it's one of the funniest films I've ever had the pleasure to see. In it you'll find Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) fighting for his 'Castle'. Facing seemingly impossible odds against the compulsory acquisition of his home by a quasi-governmental airport authority, to make way for an airport expansion project, Darryl takes them head on, and with hysterical results. The ensuing battle will leave you cheering for Darryl, his family, and yes, even his hapless lawyer, Dennis. I laughed so hard my sides hurt and I was in tears. This is a warm, 'make you feel good' film, chock full of great, quirky characters that are nicely developed and wonderfully portrayed. Folks, this is definitely one of the funniest, most charming comedies you'll ever see (in my humble opinion). Unless your sense of humor has been surgically removed, you'll laugh 'til it hurts, so buy it!! (or borrow it, not my copy of course) P.S. If you'd like to see a couple more really nice Aussie flicks, look for 'Muriel's Wedding' and 'Soft Fruit' (a very dark and touching comedy). They're both on my list of favorites along with The Castle. Enjoy!!
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie - shame about the edits
Review: As a Pom who has just moved back from Australia, I thought I would buy this DVD to remind me what I'm missing. It is, of course, a great film and a funny one. However, I should warn anyone who has seen and loved the film in its original Australian release that there are some rather annoying edits for the American market. For example, Darryl now thinks that 'The only thing funnier than Funniest Home Videos is the best of Funniest Home Videos'. RIP Hey Hey it's Saturday. He's also waiting for some 'Cheap facing' for the extra room he's building. Oh, and no-one in the family has 'ever left their home town'. The idea that 'no-one's been further than Alice Springs' was obviously deemed meaningless. Not only that, but (and I'm sure this isn't my imagination) there are some rather interesting background music additions. Some of it is pretty sappy. Unfortunately, until a DVD version is released in Australia there is no alternative for people who want to get a copy of this film, but be warned - if you're a die-hard purist you will find this a bit annoying.
Rating:
Summary: the BEST sleeper of 1999
Review: Ok, so the video isn't out yet, but I'm one of the few people who actually saw this movie. Poor Miramax, they didn't market it very well, and thats unfortunate for them and for the general public. A hokey, funny, beyond charming story of a man, a family, and their home, which is THEIR castle. He can't understand how he got his home so cheap, soooo its next to an airport runway, and high tension wires are in his back yard. Its all theirs. Until... the airport wants to expand. How will they fight a huge corporation? The BEST movie to come out of Australia in years! I belong to a film symposium class that viewed this movie. Its the only movie of the year that actually got a standing ovation.
Rating:
Summary: US version vs original version
Review: I must have watched the original version of this film (bought in Australia on VHS) at least 10 times. For many years I've wanted to get rid of the VHS version and buy it on DVD. During trips to Australia over the last few years I have tried to buy it (region 4, PAL), but have always been told that it is not available on DVD. How disappointing that Australians have to buy the US version on DVD, which is technically illegal - and unless they have illegally modified their DVD players to watch region 1 discs, technically impossible. Australian veiwers will then be further horrified when they find that their cult film has been altered in about 30 places. Many words and phrases have been changed, and the fact that the words don't match the lip movements is patently obvious. Music has been changed, music has been added where it didn't exist, and some scenes (which were very funny!) have been deleted entirely. For example - watch the trailer on the disc, the scene where she talks about not having kids until she is "at least 23" has been removed entirely. Why? The running time is only 84 minutes! Fantastic film, but a huge thumbs down for Miramax. If the rest of the world is forced to listen to American slang and work it out using context, why can't the US listen to the slang from another country? I'm sure the writers of the Castle were less than thrilled to have their work altered in this way. Then of course some American audiences are wondering about the rating - R. The only reason for this is the f... word. On a recent trip to the US I observed that 8 out of 12 films at a local cinema were rated R. In some cases these same films are rated 12-14 in Switzerland. For those wondering - the original rating on the Australian version was "M 15+ medium level course language" Some might argue that American audiences would have be unable to understand an unaltered version, but please - is there really a big difference between "scooped it [icecream] out of the punnet" (original) and "scooped it out of the bowl" (US). Or the plane flying overhead is no longer from Brisbane, it is "Sydney to Melbourne" in the US version. "Tertiary education" is also deemed too difficult and is instead simplified to "College education". This is but a small selection.... So in short - fanstastic film - but I'm keeping my original VHS version. Should the Australian distributors ever decide to make this great film available on DVD for their own audiences, I'll be the first to buy a copy. My text, despite what the system might say, refers to the *DVD* version of this film. I can only assume that the American VHS version has been similarly altered from the Australian version.
Rating:
Summary: My all-time favorite movie! I like 'em off-beat .....
Review: Just a really super film! I watched it the first time with my family, and not everyone else "got it" to the extent I did. Many times I was laughing out loud, and nobody else was! But then, I typically choose the movies that most people have never heard of..... This is a great story of what it means to be a family, and the importance of a HOME, not just a house. If everyone in the world would place a bit more importance on family and home, we just might have world peace. The movie has some great lines that run through my head from time to time like: "Tell him he's dreamin!"; "Jousting sticks, whaddya need with jousting sticks?"; "It's the vibe .."; etc. And I really dig those Aussie accents too! Rent or buy this film!
Rating:
Summary: Eccentricity personified
Review: I really enjoyed this funny, offbeat, and down-to-earth Australian film. Not only was the situation funny, but the depiction of family was really heartwarming and charming. It would have been easy to make fun of the eccentric Kerrigan family, but instead, the writer(s) wrote the script as "soft" satire, so that the family members were never the objects of ridicule. We enjoy and care about these characters because they are all so earnest and sincere, and hope that they will eventually overcome. The owner of "The Castle" is the always-optimistic Darryl Kerrigan, who regards his home as the best place in the world, despite the nearby airport, the huge power lines overhead, and the toxic landfill underneath. His home is what he and his family have made it - it is not just a physical place, but the repository of all of their years of striving and all of their fond memories. When their continuing tenure in the home is threatened by the airport expansion, the Kerrigans and some neighbors decide to fight back and hire a bumbling, incompetent attorney to handle their appeal. Although this movie is a comedy, it also is a David and Goliath story and one that shows the strength of family and the hopes of the little guys. Well worth watching. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: If you love The Dish and/or Local Hero, HIGHLY recommeded
Review: It is similiar to The Dish in that it is filled with likable, funny Australian characters. The Castle is a little farther down the wackiness/realism scale, I laughed out loud more often at The Castle. Its slightly more sit-com feel allowed for some 'harder' punchlines (not so much in terms of swearing, but more in the comedic sense) and quite often it works great. It is similiar to Local Hero in that both are about how local people (in Local Hero, Irish people) react to a rich, outside entity coming in and attempting to buy their homes. While the townspeople in Local Hero have a very different reaction, both movies deal with what makes somplace 'home' and the quality of life that has nothing to do with the dollar value of the place. Either The Dish or Local Hero would make an excellent companion to The Castle for a home double feature night. A WORD OF CAUTION: Do *NOT* watch the trailer on the DVD first!!! It gives away plot points (not that then ending is not predictable, but the trailer also gives away parts of the journey).
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