The Castle

Released 1997
Stars Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry, Anthony Simcoe, Sophie Lee, Wayne Hope, Tiriel Mora, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell
Directed by Rob Sitch

Michael Caton plays Darryl Kerrigan, the happiest homeowner in Australia. His abode at 3 Highview Crescent is his pride and joy, even though it's next door to an airport on one side and a high voltage tower on the other. Darryl lives in the ramshackle little house with his beloved wife, who makes the best meals of any woman on the face of the planet, and his two sons, narrator Dale and "idea man" Steve. A third son, Wayne, is in jail, and a daughter, Tracy, has recently entered a life of wedded bliss. For the eternally optimistic Darryl, life couldn't be better. But storm clouds are on the horizon.

The airport wants to expand, and, under an agreement with the government, they demand the compulsory acquisition of Darryl's home. Instead of accepting their generous offer and moving, he and a few neighbors decide to fight back. They hire a lawyer, Dennis Denuto, to challenge the constitutionality of the airport's case. Unfortunately, Dennis isn't a very good attorney - he can't even get his copier to work - and he botches things up.

Although The Castle is a comedy, it's not entirely without themes and serious ideas. The central conflict is a classic David vs. Goliath (big business infringing on personal liberties) - something that almost everyone (except Fortune 500 CEOs) can relate to. The actors play every scene and say every line, no matter how outrageous, with perfect sincerity, and that's a key to the film's success. The voiceover narration works because it's wonderfully corny. Like in Waiting for Guffman, we get a group of characters worth caring about even though we enjoy the way the script pokes fun at them.

Summary by James Berardinelli