Sample People (2000) User Reviews

Marketing Bluff - Kylie is barely in it.

[a-moss · 3/10 · 14 March 2006]

First: The recent campaigning of this movie is a huge hoax. Judging from the cover you'd think this was some kind of scandal movie about Kylie playing a character having sex, taking drugs and whatever. This is just a cheap market-scheme. She's barely in it and does neither of the things. The marketing here is unbelievable, and I'm surprised the filmmakers hasn't objected.

The movie itself was to me a huge disappointment. It seemed like a Sunset Beach episode directed sloppy-handed by a teenage Quentin Tarantino. And thats not meant as a compliment, mind you.

I think the weakness of the movie first of all is the story. It seems to be about nothing. Just about cool teenagers tripping around living 'on the edge'. The characters themselves does have some personality though, but the movie doesn't use its potential. As said, there's no story of any substance here. It seems to elaborate too much on cool dialog and ends up looking like a colorful MTV ad. It definitely has that feeling.

Still though, I guess some people might enjoy it, but I'd say there's far better movies like this around.

View from behind the camera...

[enthogenesis-1 · 3/10 · 18 August 2005]

This was a first feature for Clinton, I was there, while he shot this mess back in Adelaide around 98...

Although I wasn't involved directly in the production, I was witness to the typically delusional behavior, post set, that went down,: the parties, the drugs, the illusionary glamor, really an example of what not to do when making a film, but also a byproduct of young, talented people getting caught up in classic ideologies of fame & worldly position.

I like Clinton, we had a curious friendship, he deserves to have another crack with a more mature script...there the problems lay, and I'm sure a much better job will be done, if there's a next time round.! Because, frankly, he certainly didn't do himself any favours with this on his CV and neither did the cast...but hey, it was a paying job, in country where actors regularly starve to death

In summary, fascinating to watch 'the making of' basically, not so much fun to experience (alas!).

Haven't you got something better to do?

[valmont-11 · 5/10 · 13 May 2000]

This movie is such a waste of time. The characters are cliched and the acting is pretty much non existant with exception of a few (Simon Lyndon, Kylie Minogue and Nathan Page stand out). It seems like the director has just watched "Go" and "Trainspotting" and tried to create a Frankenstein like movie, with disastrous results. The drug scenes are supposed to be hard hitting but is nothing more than you could see on any other drug related movie. So far you're probably thinking this movie is still watchable, which it is-just. But before you rush out and see it I'll warn you of Ben Mendelson's attrocious performance. He is by far the most annoying character ever to be seen in an Australian movie. Ever.It's moments like this that make you think how and why a movie like this gets financed and also made it to the cinemas. In conclusion I thought this movie was trying too hard to be cool and edgy that it forgot to add plot and character depth. It would seem that the sudden surge of Australian actors setting off for Hollywood(Toni Collette in "The 6th Sense", Russell Crowe in "Gladiator" and "The Insider" as well as Heath Ledger in "The Patriot")seems to be because of the crud that is being made in Australia. Australia needs to create some great roles for up and coming actors before we lose our young stars to Hollywood forever. I give Sample people 5/10 and thats being VERY kind.

repulsive

[ptb-8 · 1/10 · 26 March 2005]

What a nasty cynical film. Apparently this sad excuse for a dramatic urban look at what 20 year olds do whilst crawling through the gutter of Sydney nightlife is supposed to be somehow connecting with its target market. Made by some Industry nobody and pals who seemingly thought they could cobble together any sleazy behavior with a young cast and pour it into multiplexes, SAMPLE PEOPLE deservedly failed miserably at the Australian box office. It is so offensive in its clichéd depictions of obvious and easy targets it was fully rejected by the very audience it was intended. Shoddy and cruel and with no attempt to offer quality or resonance to the young audience who might have been attracted by the marketing or casting SAMPLE PEOPLE might have been interesting or even informative if not botched by its exploitive view of 'what teens want to see in a movie'. The character played by Ben Mendelsohn is particularly offensive and Kylie Minogue is again wasted by poor material and untalented film makers. It is as if the producers thought teens would watch any ugly trash and just slung-together scenes and characters who were shallow and soul less. Well the were very wrong. A mini budget film made in 1983 called GOING DOWN got this topic right and is an excellent antidote to this poison.

Kylie's film salary couldn't have been very high

[wellthatswhatithinkanyway · 3 September 2002]

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

What a big name star like Kylie Minogue is doing headbilling an ultra low-budget film like Sample People is astounding.It seems to have a budget of about $410.It's also kind of deceptive advertising,because she's hardly the main star of the show in it.The soundtrack's quite entertaining and there are some interesting characters,but the sheer plotlessness of it is what bogs it down.In the end,it certainly leaves you wondering if you should expect to see a similar sort of film starring Russell Crowe in the near future.If nothing else at least.**

Drugs Are Bad, Umok

[djstreader · 3/10 · 17 May 2005]

Missed it at the cinema, but was always slightly compelled. Found it in the throw-out bin at my local video shop for a measly two bucks! Will I now give it away to anyone who wants it? Probably! No purposeful plot, one dimensional characters, plastic world ripped off from many far better films, no decent dialogue to speak of. You know that empty feeling when you come down off ecstasy? Its that feeling right here. Sad thing is, the Australia I know is heading in this direction, minus the melodrama and simple answers. Interesting only to see the older Aussie actors (who had to ACT back in their day to get by) vs the newer Aussie actors (who have to LOOK GOOD to get by). Like some horribly garish narrative introduction to a film clip that never actually starts... Poor Kylie, started her career as an actress as well...

Makes you want to slap Kylie

[torrascotia · 1/10 · 3 July 2022]

Its actually hard to explain why this is so bad, not because its hard to find faults, more because there are so many.

This tries to come off like a mix between Trainspotting and Human Traffic. Its supposed to be about different groups of "kids" who are all well into their 20s on a weekend, or possibly even one evening. The problem is that you don't care about anyone due to the bad writing. Nor does any of the so called "edgy" behaviour make any sense at any point. The tone of the film is incomprehensible. Is some of it supposed to be funny? Does it have a message? Is it a drama? Nobody knows and if you make it to the end you won't know either.

Apparently this is supposed to be about clubbers, but the music is terrible. You can't even identify what type of music its supposed to so its very unlikely any of the music was actually produced by dance music producers. It sounds like demo music from a cheap synth of groovebox but not from a reputable manufacturer.

To me it looks as if the director was trying to make an Araki movie, but fell well short. Its very surprising to see a couple of well known Australian actors in this. Why did they agree to be part of this? Kylie is billed as the main character, which is the obvious carrot to lure you in, but she is in fact a minor player. Was she top billed just because she is the biggest name? Then shame on her and the producers.

This makes Housos look like the Godfather. Not just in terms of production but also the acting on show. Takes a real skill to make household names look this bad.

Its on Amazon Prime, for free obviously but just remember, your time is precious.

Not great

[thegovernator · 6/10 · 23 January 2008]

Within the first 2 minutes I have sustained a headache from the sheer crapness of it. Now I am writing this. It is just one of those really bad Australian movies which compels you to change the channel immediately, but usually you have to end up watching as nothing else is on.

In the same context as one of those stupid American TV dramas (that I cant believe anyone could be bothered watching) although different.

It isn't very good and that's a shame. Plus Kylie is barely in it and seems to have regressed back to her bad acting days in Neighbours.

That is all. Avoid.

A BOLD, BRASH AND EXCITING MESS OF A FILM

[jarrod76 · 8/10 · 12 May 2000]

The critics have been less than kind to 'Sample People' - so I had expectations that the film will be somewhat of a dud when I saw it. Many of the criticisms of the film are correct; it's a little derivative and quite a messy film - but that's part of it's charm. It's quite brave for an Australian film - it's noisy, colourful and never boring. It contains strong performances from Nathan Page, Ben Mendelsohn, Kylie Minogue and David Field; and a brilliant soundtrack of Australian artists covering classic Australian songs. The film's production design is excellent - it looks like a Gregg Araki film, and the editing and cinematography are relentlessly brash. It's imperative that people go and support films such as this - a low budget Aussie indie pic, because lack of support from critics and lack of distribution and publicity will mean that it remains unseen by the young adult demographic it is intended for. 'Sample People' (brilliant title) is as good as any film I have seen this year.

Kylie - Who cares, this movie stands alone.

[Tims99 · 7/10 · 13 January 2005]

I personally found this movie to be very entertaining with some some stand out performances by fairly unknown actors. If your watching it for the star value of Kylie don't bother cause her performance isn't anything to rave about. The sound, color are excellent and well blended. There are also some powerful underlying messages about drugs violence and the rave culture which makes this movie a little different from your run of the mill crap, in my mind this is a cult Aussie classic. Just because it doesn't have a big budget or a Black and White - spelled out for you story to follow don't overlook it. Expect a feverish mix of sex, drugs, music, violence and young party people seeking a good time.

Sample People? Reminded me of a sample of.....

[lane_adrian · 20 December 2001]

Isn't a sample what a doctor gets you to take to the lab when you've had food poisoning? Ideal name for the movie. This movie had too much blood, too many people getting shot and then being fine. Kylie Minogue's character didn't let her act as well as we've seen her in (even) Neighbours. The best character seemed to be Phil, the Indian kebab shop owner, mainly because he stayed out of trouble. I don't think I'll try to see this one again.

The actual story doesn't hit

[r96sk · 6/10 · 20 January 2020]

'Sample People' is somewhat interesting, though never really delivers with its plot.

It manages the rather large cast pretty well, with Simon Lyndon and Joel Edgerton being the standout performers. However, as noted, the actual story doesn't hit - I didn't care for any of the characters involved.

Raw exposee of Sydney's clubbing underbelly

[biggart · 8/10 · 8 May 2003]

I really enjoyed this film. Think of a cross between Go, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Two Hands. The action didn't let up and the characters were all given life by a strong cast of young and old hands. I enjoyed the chaos and the messiness, and I think the low-budget feel of the film adds to rather than detracts from its appeal. For those of you who get the film out on the basis of Kylie being on the cover, you'll be disappointed. Although she plays a strong character, screen-time is shared pretty evenly throughout the cast. She's back to her grass roots here. Standout performers for me were Simon Lyndon, Paula Arundell, Nathan Page and Matt Wilkinson but the whole cast's effort was the highlight of this film.

Interesting, good film-making, surprisingly authentic

[bigguylj2003 · 10/10 · 26 August 2005]

I saw this movie based on its likeness to the movie "Go", a movie which also didn't do remarkably but I still enjoy. This film deserves more credit than its received, both in box office revenue and reviews. Admittedly, the plot does have more than its share of conventions, and some of the events in the film are more than improbable. However, the characters, in their stereotypes, each serve well to represent a certain type of person that you might meet (and i have met) out in the Australian party scene. There's the way-freaky and a bit too open cross-dresser, the down to earth guy, the tripped out hippie girlfriend, the sought-after DJ girl, the really REALLY weird guy, and then you get into the Kylie Minogue storyline and admittedly, things take a turn for the worse. However, one of the greatest parts of the film itself is the style of cinematography shown. Some of the camera angles are a little raw, a little experimental, but more often than not does well to portray what's happening at the time. If you pick this movie up with an open mind and looking for a movie just to kick back and enjoy for a reasonably visceral but not all too insightful good time, than you should have no worries. If you're looking for something to change your life, I'd recommend something else, unless you're thinking of taking up DJing in Sydney.

fellow Australian movie fans please read

[kyle_anderson_au · 10/10 · 13 January 2006]

This is the perfect example of the sort of trash that comes out of Australian Cinema 9 out of 10 times. I saw this movie on late night TV a couple of years ago and was thoroughly bored. Guess what tonight i turn on the TV and this toilet of a movie starts.

Within the first 2 minutes i have sustained a headache from the sheer crapness of it. Now i am writing this. It is just one of those really bad Australian movies which compels you to change the channel immediately, but usually you have to end up watching as nothing else is on. In the same context as one of those stupid British TV dramas (that i cant believe anyone could be bothered watching) although different.

That is all.

film students take note : WHAT NOT TO DO

[o_s_k_r · 9/10 · 11 May 2010]

Incredible that such a film was made with such talented actors (all twelve of them) and such a terrible script. The story can best be called juvenile - feels like the first attempt of an eighteen year old with no experience and big self delusions. The script completely falls apart in the last ten minutes, reducing itself to inappropriate clichés such as guns and overdoses (what is she exactly overdosing on? - seems more like epilepsy). Why did a bunch of experienced actors agree to participate? Perhaps it was money? But who would be stupid enough to finance this? The film is further compromised by being filmed in Adelaide and thereby loses all "scene credibility" (Dogs in Space holds up better). The shots of Sydney are transparently introduced at various intervals.

There are one or two interesting scenes that ring true. Otherwise this movie feels like a telemovie. And why are the colours so enhanced and blurry? What did this achieve? PS: I gave this 9/10 because i'm horribly biased (towards Australian counter culture films however abysmal).