Idiot Box (1997)

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

What is needed for this film is a cultural reference point, that is some sort of experience/insight to suburban Australian life.As anyone who has ever lived or spent time in the western suburbs of Sydney will no doubt know, the options for fun and excitement are, to say the least, somewhat limited. All that exists is a cycle of bad straight tovideo movies, longnecks in the park, and conversations with a selection of dodgy blokes in pubs... Now with that background in place, we come to idiot box. The film, although a comedy, is no satire. It is more an accurate representation of the pointlessness and utter boredom of the Sydney suburbs an draws its humor from such. A feeling of subdued frustration prevails in this film, in fact it is the general theme of it. The characters plan to rob a bank, however woefully conceived, is an extension on this, a philosophy that it does not matter whether they succeed, fail or even try, it matters only that they have done SOMETHING. Idiot Box resonates with Sydneysiders, with Australians, it is an extremely relevant and poignant representation of a culture of boredom and frustration,a culture that lays its blame for this othersat the feet of others. It is not a film that translates well to other cultures.

A grim, gritty and uncompromising look at slacker life in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. A similar mind set to FIGHT CLUB, THE GRADUATE, SUBURBIA and even A CLOCKWORK ORANGE - young men with no future, with nothing to do but spew hate at the establishment around them. An underrated, under appreciated and highly engrossing film. Watch this film and you'll feel like swigging a case of VB and smashing the empties against a brick wall.

Both the style and content of this film (as previous reviewers have stated) are far from fresh, but I can't be too unkind to a film that at least doesn't pander to the PG-13 crowd with the usual doses of sitcom sensitivity and redemptive moralism. The performances are all well delivered, the look of the film is grimly realistic, and the only obligatory, sensationalistic aspect of the piece is the annoyingly typical song-track music (that gleefully exploits and sells the usual mishmash that adds up to a pop-muzak CD). There's some good dialogue here and some fine widescreen photography for those film enthusiasts who are interested in checking out the DVD release of this decent Aussie indie.

Life in western Sydney as depicted by director Caesar with two nothing-to-do down and outs who plan to rob a bank. A few interesting touches in the visual department but the script lacked a certain bite to match the brilliant performance of the two leads.