Clubland - ‘The only remedy for love is to love more.’
June 28th 2007 08:22
Last week I won a double pass to a special preview screening of CLUBLAND followed by a Q&A with Director Cherie Nowlan & star Emma Booth courtesy of the Dendy website.
Clubland is a 2007 Australian film, directed by Cherie Nowlan and written by Keith Thompson, starring Khan Chittenden, Emma Booth, Richard Wilson and English Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn. It’s set for release here in Australia today. It was selected for screening at the Sundance Film Festival where it was picked up by Warners Independent for a $4 million dollar deal and earned positive reviews. In the US it is being released on the 4th July weekend, (the first Australian film ever to do so) with the different title "Introducing the Dwights". Brenda Blethyn, along with Jo Brand, wrote much of the material for the stand-up scenes. Clubland film is a well-compounded blend of English and Australian grittiness. (Some info taken from Wikipedia: Really Long Link
There comes a time for a mother to let go. And in this film, that time isn't now. Jean is not ready to give up her son without a fight.
Jeannie Dwight (Brenda Blethyn) is a cook, loving mother, divorcee, and on the hopeful road to a comeback on the club comedy circuit. Her ex-husband John (Frankie J. Holden) is staging a revival of his own, hoping to get his life back to his glory days when he was number one on the country music charts back in 1975. Brenda works day shifts at a cafeteria, but she lives for the few gigs she gets as a stand-up comedienne cracking familiar jokes about oafish husbands, bad sex and similar topics.
On the home front, she depends heavily on her 20-year-old son Tim (Khan Chittenden) to shoulder much of the responsibility for minding his brother Mark (Richard Wilson), who is developmentally delayed.
With such a home life and his mum's rather overwhelming personality, it’s no surprise Tim is acutely shy. He lacks confidence and is awkward with women. When he meets two flirtatious young roommates Jill (Emma Booth) and Kelly (Katie Wall), the second girl encourages the first to give him their number. He hesitates. But relents and gives her his phone number.
Problems arise when Tim starts dating Jill; Jean is horrified that her son might be prioritising someone else in his life. When Jill mistakes Tim’s virginal skittishness for rejection, she tries in several ways to entice him into having sex, often with humorous consequences. These scenes are delightfully uncomfortable and naïve. Jill is convinced Tim won’t sleep with her because her breasts are too small, when in fact he is embarrassed about his lack of experience. Once they work out the sexual aspect of their relationship, an obstacle becomes increasingly unequivocal: Tim’s mum and Jill’s effect on Tim. As these two strong woman battle, questions of family loyalty, the mother-son bond and the power of love all emerge.
While the romance between Jill and Tim is certainly a strong subplot, our attention is dually focussed on what is happening in Jean's life and career. On one level, this film is a comedy about a mature woman doing slightly raucous stand-up routines. On another level, it's a drama about a demanding mother trying to mould her children into never growing up.
Brenda Blethyn does her usual excellent work. I hold her in high esteem as an actor. I believe she is worthy of all her accolades, such as an English Golden Globe winner, an Academy Award-nominated film, stage, television and voice actress, and writer. She predominantly performs in leading roles ranging from comedies and dramas to historical films and crimes. She is best known for her films released in the 1990s and 2000s, including Secrets & Lies (1996), Little Voice (1998), Saving Grace (2000), and Pride & Prejudice (2005). (Some info taken from Wikipedia: Really Long Link)
I first discovered Brenda in Secrets and Lies, directed by Mike Leigh. I was blown away by the film and Brenda's performance as the leading actor. The story chronicles Hortense Cumberbatch's life, an African-English woman who traces her family history and discovers that her mother, Cynthia Rose Purley, is a working-class Caucasian woman. This is a film that does not shy away from uncomfortable issues and dives right inside of them dissecting and illuminating its elements. I’m aware that I’m lapsing into a review of Secrets and Lies so I’ll leave it there (and maybe it’s a post for another day).
Khan Chittenden and Emma Booth are both excellent actors that I haven’t seen before but am looking forward to seeing more of their work. Coincidentally I just won tickets to see West, another Australian film starring Chittenden in July.
My only negative thought about the film is that the ending is slightly too tidy and felt as though it happened too quickly. I didn't see nor expect that it was heading towards such a safe conclusion. Also, while Nowlan succeeds in framing a compassionate and raw portrayal of a fractured woman, I think if she reigned Blethyn in slightly more, it would give the surrounding tensions more room to breathe and heighten, for example the relationship between Tim and Jill. Despite these dissensions, Clubland is a rare blend of dramatic and comic sensibility and skill.
The tagline for this film is: ‘The only remedy for love is to love more.’ And love more they certainly do. But in this family, letting go is not easy. As the painful drama unfolds, buried resonances emerge through the deep, haunting humour.
I'll now include some quotes from the Q&A session with Director Cherie Nowlan & star Emma Booth after the film viewing.
Cherie described the filmmaking process as being organic and incremental. It took Jo Brand, a popular English comedian and Brenda Blethyn three weeks to create the monologues, which tells us much about their talents as comedians and writers. This is Emma’s first major role, one that Cherie believes is just her first of many to come and for that reason Cherie was keen to snap her up. Previously Emma worked as a model with small acting roles.
Cherie spoke about the danger of Brenda’s strong character potentially alienating the audience but believed the loveable, amiable side of her character counterbalanced that concern.
Brenda is known for her commitment to her acting roles, she even moved to Australia for six months leaving her family. Brenda’s motto is, ‘the only remedy for love is to love more’.
As I noticed, much of the filming was in local familiar places in Sydney such as Marrickville RSL, Bass Hill shopping centre and Rooty Hill. They used a typical 60s iconic West Ryde suburban house for the family house which all added to a distinct feeling of authenticity.
An audience member asked if Richard who plays Mark has cerebral palsy in real life, Cherie answered no. She explained that Richard needed to research his role to act with accuracy and subtlety. Cherie explained that it took years to get the film financed and once this happened, filming started happening almost immediately. If they chose an actor with a disability, unfortunately the process was likely to take longer. As with many things, it boiled down to finances and time.
Without giving the ending of the film away, Cherie said it was different to what she was expecting. So I’ll leave you with that point.
If anyone sees the film, I’d love to hear what you think. Here's an excerpt if you fancy a look.
There comes a time for a mother to let go. And in this film, that time isn't now. Jean is not ready to give up her son without a fight.
Jeannie Dwight (Brenda Blethyn) is a cook, loving mother, divorcee, and on the hopeful road to a comeback on the club comedy circuit. Her ex-husband John (Frankie J. Holden) is staging a revival of his own, hoping to get his life back to his glory days when he was number one on the country music charts back in 1975. Brenda works day shifts at a cafeteria, but she lives for the few gigs she gets as a stand-up comedienne cracking familiar jokes about oafish husbands, bad sex and similar topics.
On the home front, she depends heavily on her 20-year-old son Tim (Khan Chittenden) to shoulder much of the responsibility for minding his brother Mark (Richard Wilson), who is developmentally delayed.
With such a home life and his mum's rather overwhelming personality, it’s no surprise Tim is acutely shy. He lacks confidence and is awkward with women. When he meets two flirtatious young roommates Jill (Emma Booth) and Kelly (Katie Wall), the second girl encourages the first to give him their number. He hesitates. But relents and gives her his phone number.
Problems arise when Tim starts dating Jill; Jean is horrified that her son might be prioritising someone else in his life. When Jill mistakes Tim’s virginal skittishness for rejection, she tries in several ways to entice him into having sex, often with humorous consequences. These scenes are delightfully uncomfortable and naïve. Jill is convinced Tim won’t sleep with her because her breasts are too small, when in fact he is embarrassed about his lack of experience. Once they work out the sexual aspect of their relationship, an obstacle becomes increasingly unequivocal: Tim’s mum and Jill’s effect on Tim. As these two strong woman battle, questions of family loyalty, the mother-son bond and the power of love all emerge.
While the romance between Jill and Tim is certainly a strong subplot, our attention is dually focussed on what is happening in Jean's life and career. On one level, this film is a comedy about a mature woman doing slightly raucous stand-up routines. On another level, it's a drama about a demanding mother trying to mould her children into never growing up.
Brenda Blethyn does her usual excellent work. I hold her in high esteem as an actor. I believe she is worthy of all her accolades, such as an English Golden Globe winner, an Academy Award-nominated film, stage, television and voice actress, and writer. She predominantly performs in leading roles ranging from comedies and dramas to historical films and crimes. She is best known for her films released in the 1990s and 2000s, including Secrets & Lies (1996), Little Voice (1998), Saving Grace (2000), and Pride & Prejudice (2005). (Some info taken from Wikipedia: Really Long Link)
I first discovered Brenda in Secrets and Lies, directed by Mike Leigh. I was blown away by the film and Brenda's performance as the leading actor. The story chronicles Hortense Cumberbatch's life, an African-English woman who traces her family history and discovers that her mother, Cynthia Rose Purley, is a working-class Caucasian woman. This is a film that does not shy away from uncomfortable issues and dives right inside of them dissecting and illuminating its elements. I’m aware that I’m lapsing into a review of Secrets and Lies so I’ll leave it there (and maybe it’s a post for another day).
Khan Chittenden and Emma Booth are both excellent actors that I haven’t seen before but am looking forward to seeing more of their work. Coincidentally I just won tickets to see West, another Australian film starring Chittenden in July.
My only negative thought about the film is that the ending is slightly too tidy and felt as though it happened too quickly. I didn't see nor expect that it was heading towards such a safe conclusion. Also, while Nowlan succeeds in framing a compassionate and raw portrayal of a fractured woman, I think if she reigned Blethyn in slightly more, it would give the surrounding tensions more room to breathe and heighten, for example the relationship between Tim and Jill. Despite these dissensions, Clubland is a rare blend of dramatic and comic sensibility and skill.
The tagline for this film is: ‘The only remedy for love is to love more.’ And love more they certainly do. But in this family, letting go is not easy. As the painful drama unfolds, buried resonances emerge through the deep, haunting humour.
I'll now include some quotes from the Q&A session with Director Cherie Nowlan & star Emma Booth after the film viewing.
Cherie described the filmmaking process as being organic and incremental. It took Jo Brand, a popular English comedian and Brenda Blethyn three weeks to create the monologues, which tells us much about their talents as comedians and writers. This is Emma’s first major role, one that Cherie believes is just her first of many to come and for that reason Cherie was keen to snap her up. Previously Emma worked as a model with small acting roles.
Cherie spoke about the danger of Brenda’s strong character potentially alienating the audience but believed the loveable, amiable side of her character counterbalanced that concern.
Brenda is known for her commitment to her acting roles, she even moved to Australia for six months leaving her family. Brenda’s motto is, ‘the only remedy for love is to love more’.
As I noticed, much of the filming was in local familiar places in Sydney such as Marrickville RSL, Bass Hill shopping centre and Rooty Hill. They used a typical 60s iconic West Ryde suburban house for the family house which all added to a distinct feeling of authenticity.
An audience member asked if Richard who plays Mark has cerebral palsy in real life, Cherie answered no. She explained that Richard needed to research his role to act with accuracy and subtlety. Cherie explained that it took years to get the film financed and once this happened, filming started happening almost immediately. If they chose an actor with a disability, unfortunately the process was likely to take longer. As with many things, it boiled down to finances and time.
Without giving the ending of the film away, Cherie said it was different to what she was expecting. So I’ll leave you with that point.
If anyone sees the film, I’d love to hear what you think. Here's an excerpt if you fancy a look.
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Comment by David
Secrets & Lies is one of my all-time favourite films. Little Voice is brilliant, and I really enjoyed Saving Grace.
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
To love more, oh, you mean the dog or the cat or something.
Mum's clinging to their children, Oh, I wish.
Mine all shot off so fast I blinked once and he was gone, twice and she was gone, three times and the other she was gone.
Then I gave up. On blinking you ask, no, not really, ran out of children.
katyzzz
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Thanks for popping in, David. I'm glad to have some company with my admiration for Secrets and Lies. At the time it was one of the most affecting films that I've seen, I remember the day clearly that I saw it. It then led to me discovering Ken Loach and his not-so-chirpy yet gritty and realistic films.
I've seen Secrets many, many times and it's still just as powerful and affecting. I also really liked Little Voice but I have to admit not as much as Secrets and it's the same with this one. Clubland is highly impacting and covers realistic humorous dilemmas but it's not quite up there with Secrets for me. In Secrets the collaboration of Mike Leigh and Blethyn worked perfectly for me. Leigh's script and direction pushed all the right buttons without getting overly melodramatic, and the acting is uniformly excellent.
I really need to write a review on Secrets as I keep going back to it.
Anyway, this is a film I would recommend seeing, the blend of English and Australianisms was captivating. And I really enjoyed the humour too. The tug of war between the mother and girlfriend is authentic in its portrayal. I think you would like it, David, seeing as you've liked the other films.
Comment by Ash
Flashes of memories
I saw the previews for this last night and it looks pretty funny so I`m going to read your review once I have seen it and come back.
Hope you are well
ash
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Yes, it has some very funny moments, I love Brenda (which you will notice when you read my essay/review).
Looking forward to hearing what you think,
Byeeeeee
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I felt for Brenda/Jean in this film, it must be hard to let go. I'm not a mum so I can only imagine it to be the case.
I also feel for people in the opposite direction, where the children go their own way quicker than the parents would like, as you are describing. That must've been sad and hard for you. I do hope you see them occasionally even if it's not as often as you would like.
Best wishes,
Tracy
Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner
sounds a lot like 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape, with Johnny Depp Leonardo DiCaprio...I don't know if you've seen that flick but it's certainly worth a peek as it is an excellent film...
This one sounds almost as enjoyable and entertaining, with some serious dymnamics and characters...
Great review!
Take care,
Nick
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Yes, I've seen What's Eating Gilbert Grape a few times and loved it too. It's a fine film in so many senses, I still feel goosebumps when it think of it now. That's a good comparison between it and Clubland.
I'm going to add Gilbert to my list of 'films to review', thank-you. People have given me so many good ideas lately. Such lovely Orblers.
Good to see you,
Tracy
Comment by yoda76
The Tube Blog
Geez I got some catching up to do...
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life