At first Coolangatta Gold seems pretty cheesy, but it turns out to be an entertaining movie. The acting is believable and you have to love the way the sand squeaks during the "running on the beach" scenes. Our bus driver reckoned that Coolangatta Gold is one of the few classic Australian films and I'd have to say that I agree with him. The sassy dirty dancing scene reminiscent of "Flashdance" is a great bonus as well.
8 Reviews
an Aussie sporting epic like no other
trojans724 July 2005
this is no classic it not even that great but is purer Aussie. but this movie was and still is one of the most expensive movie made down under. at 10 million in 84 it was unheard of ,in 2005 impossible, for that its an Aussie epic like no other. it maybe just a trashy mix of sporting clichés but works and the cinematography is beautiful.it captures the gold coast and the hinterland of queensland perfectly.
now if you did not know it's now available on DVD.in all its widescreen glory,its a must purchase.plus it has a few extra thats with a look.
As for the race there is rumor that it is back on again this year. who in there right mind would enter such a race is beyond me.
now if you did not know it's now available on DVD.in all its widescreen glory,its a must purchase.plus it has a few extra thats with a look.
As for the race there is rumor that it is back on again this year. who in there right mind would enter such a race is beyond me.
Chariots of Foster's Lager
JohnSeal7 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Time, methinks, for a non-Australian review of this film. Released in pan and scan format to the American VHS market WAY back in the day, Coolangatta Gold (retitled clumsily The Gold and Glory for stupid Yanks) is a very predictable sports drama about two brothers (Colin Friels and Joss McWilliam) competing against each other in a bizarre marathon/canoeing competition on the Australian Gold Coast. They're also out to please their ogre of a father (Nick Tate) who placed a lowly second in the 1960 race and hasn't come to terms with his abject failure. Apparently this film cost a lot of money to make; it's hard, however, to see where the money was spent, unless most of the budget was used to reserve the beach for the duration of production. There's a pointless romantic subplot, ballet dancing, and some truly horrible 1980s fashions as well, but the cast take it seriously and don't embarrass themselves. If you enjoy sports movie clichés, you'll probably get some mileage out of Coolangatta Gold, which also features a hackneyed, bludgeoning Bill Conti score that will have you longing for a hint of Vangelis. I'm sure it all looks more impressive in widescreen, but you've seen the story a hundred times before.
The critics got it wrong !!
Michael_Grech19 October 2004
The Coolangatta Gold is a great movie. It has a great storyline which many of us can relate to. It has spectacular scenery set around the beautiful Gold Coast. It has a great soundtrack and it also has some great acting. With all these things on its side you would think that the movie would be a huge success however if you remember back to the time, it was a major flop.
It has always annoyed me that whenever I have read a critics review of this film, they have always criticised it severely and they generally say that it was a waste of money as a lot of money went into making it. In my opinion it is one of the best Australian films of its era and I urge anyone who enjoys Aussie films of the 80's to get a copy of this one as I think you will enjoy it.
One sad note though...most of the acting is very good except for Joss McWilliam who plays the lead role. I don't think he is too flash. Nick Tate and Colin Friels are sensational.
It has always annoyed me that whenever I have read a critics review of this film, they have always criticised it severely and they generally say that it was a waste of money as a lot of money went into making it. In my opinion it is one of the best Australian films of its era and I urge anyone who enjoys Aussie films of the 80's to get a copy of this one as I think you will enjoy it.
One sad note though...most of the acting is very good except for Joss McWilliam who plays the lead role. I don't think he is too flash. Nick Tate and Colin Friels are sensational.
Pretty cheesy, but alright
seh-717 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I did laugh *at* lot at this film rather than with it, mainly because of the way 80s trends have dated so much more than any failure on the part of the film. e.g. it's just unfortunate that the band sequences are so terribly 80s specific that it renders that section unintentionally hilarious.
It is a fairly predictable story: bloke is good at his sport, here this is surf life saving. So is his brother. Father was in his day, but came 2nd in a major race and has never recovered. Now he pushes his elder son (the brother, not the main character) to achieve what he couldn't and bullies the main character. Along the way, the bloke meets a ballet dancer and falls in love. It's all pretty cheesy, all the boxes for drama are ticked: family drama, achievement against the odds, love story.
The Coolangatta Gold is now an iconic surf life saving sports marathon, but at the time it was an invention of this film. (The very first race was *this film*, with the actor's portions filmed around it). If this film did nothing else for Australian culture or cinema, it did leave that one remarkable achievement. For competitive surf life savers, the Gold is still the holy grail of endurance racing.
The surf footage is great. The love story is less good - it felt like filler, rather than a key point to the plot. The "dirty dancing" scene is fairly ridiculous!
As a passionate surf life saver, I found the attitude of the father really, really distasteful. In the junior side of SLS, we try to foster an environment where parents are NOT encouraged to live vicariously through successful children (we try to make it as far as possible in the other direction!) The same goes for the senior competition, but it's harder to avoid there and I've seen people like this character in real life. Those people are as unpleasant in real life as this guy is on film and I find it really disheartening that the film's climax and pay off vindicates the way he has behaved during the film. That really left a sour note at the end of the film which took off a few stars in my rating.
It is a fairly predictable story: bloke is good at his sport, here this is surf life saving. So is his brother. Father was in his day, but came 2nd in a major race and has never recovered. Now he pushes his elder son (the brother, not the main character) to achieve what he couldn't and bullies the main character. Along the way, the bloke meets a ballet dancer and falls in love. It's all pretty cheesy, all the boxes for drama are ticked: family drama, achievement against the odds, love story.
The Coolangatta Gold is now an iconic surf life saving sports marathon, but at the time it was an invention of this film. (The very first race was *this film*, with the actor's portions filmed around it). If this film did nothing else for Australian culture or cinema, it did leave that one remarkable achievement. For competitive surf life savers, the Gold is still the holy grail of endurance racing.
The surf footage is great. The love story is less good - it felt like filler, rather than a key point to the plot. The "dirty dancing" scene is fairly ridiculous!
As a passionate surf life saver, I found the attitude of the father really, really distasteful. In the junior side of SLS, we try to foster an environment where parents are NOT encouraged to live vicariously through successful children (we try to make it as far as possible in the other direction!) The same goes for the senior competition, but it's harder to avoid there and I've seen people like this character in real life. Those people are as unpleasant in real life as this guy is on film and I find it really disheartening that the film's climax and pay off vindicates the way he has behaved during the film. That really left a sour note at the end of the film which took off a few stars in my rating.
One of the Aussie classics
JakeZbrah5 June 2004
Ahh Australian cinema. We're a unique breed down these parts, with a unique culture and sense of humour. Hardly understood by the rest of the world I think it shocks us more than it shocks them when an Aussie movie is a world wide hit (Priscilla perhaps?). As it's such a rare occurrence, Australian cinema has many little known classics that mean a lot to us but would leave pretty much everybody else scratching their heads. I think this is most likely one of those movies.
That's not to say that Coolangatta Gold isn't a good movie in it's own right. The engaging story, the themes of family and maturity, a journey into adulthood. Coolangatta Gold is an inspirational film and covers a lifestyle that will always be a large part of Australia's identity.
That's not to say that Coolangatta Gold isn't a good movie in it's own right. The engaging story, the themes of family and maturity, a journey into adulthood. Coolangatta Gold is an inspirational film and covers a lifestyle that will always be a large part of Australia's identity.
They're not quite Cain and Abel, but they're close, thanks to dad.
mark.waltz10 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Honestly, if there was going to be a family murder, it would most likely be patricide, the resentment from son Joss McWilliam towards dad Nick Tate for openly favoring brother Colin Friels over him, and it's more than just simple favorites. It seems like general hatred. McWilliam could just never measure up, and when he decides that he's going to enter a Gold Coast Olympic like racing event (both on land and at sea), Tate openly pushes brother Friels to beat him, making McWilliams all the more determined. It's definitely going to be a sore sense of pride if he does because Tate was an also ran in the previous event.
Above average sporting drama, a modern day set "Chariots of Fire", in Australia, not England, with a good performance by Robyn Nevin as the mother whom Tate fears will leave him over his treatment of the less favored son, making Tate all the less sympathetic when he asks him to remain home rather than move to the city. So his son is nothing more than a convenience to him which adds to the sympathy he gets. Josephine Smulders gets some nice ballet scenes as McWilliam's girlfriend. The relationship between the two brothers remains strong, and the real triumph is the fact that McWilliam realizes that he doesn't need his father's approval for anything. Beautifully filmed and a nice triumph for the underdog.
Above average sporting drama, a modern day set "Chariots of Fire", in Australia, not England, with a good performance by Robyn Nevin as the mother whom Tate fears will leave him over his treatment of the less favored son, making Tate all the less sympathetic when he asks him to remain home rather than move to the city. So his son is nothing more than a convenience to him which adds to the sympathy he gets. Josephine Smulders gets some nice ballet scenes as McWilliam's girlfriend. The relationship between the two brothers remains strong, and the real triumph is the fact that McWilliam realizes that he doesn't need his father's approval for anything. Beautifully filmed and a nice triumph for the underdog.
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