A Man's Gotta Do (2004) User Reviews

Movie length sketch comedy

[aircawn · 7/10 · 11 September 2006]

I stumbled on this film accidentally after it had started, so there may have been some running points that I'd missed during the run of the movie. The film felt to me like a feature length sketch comedy show. The storyline is shown to us in intersecting segments, like a sequence of anecdotes, each with their own amusing or heartwarming finale. Most importantly though, there are enough characters and side plots to keep it from getting too stale.

The writing and acting (especially John Howard's) is all well done and had me laughing out loud many times throughout the show. So in my mind, it does rate high. Personally, I think it could have benefited if the story was told a bit smoother, rather than the usual CutToTheNextScene without having to build a brand new joke out of it.

A very funny film, just 15 minutes too long.

[drojek · 7/10 · 2 September 2004]

I really enjoyed this movie which I saw at this years Montreal World Film Festival. John Howard, the lead actor, is hilarious, even when you can't understand what he is saying. The other actors were good, and who would of thought that a Dentist could be such a good director? The only complaint I have is that it was a little too long. The subplot involving Eddy's affair could probably be cut out, and you had to really pay attention because the audience tended to drown out some of the best lines. This comedy didn't insult you by spelling out every detail or joke. Even the audio overlay during the credits, where Eddy describes his feelings, is hilarious. If that Lawn Chair movie can make it to the US, then this one should too.

"What's to understand?"

[donlhumphries · 6/10 · 10 November 2004]

Edwin Burke (John Howard) is a burly fisherman who doesn't quite understand his 20-yr-old daughter who is about to marry, and enlists young employee, Dominic (Gyton Grantley), to help him - by reading her diary. Mum, Yvonne (Rebecca Frith) is ignored by all concerned, except Paul the Plumber.

The daughter, Chantelle (Alyssa McClelland) has a friend Dolores (Amie Mckenna), and they discuss father and fiancé. A local fortune-teller uncannily predicts events.

This movie's in the likable Australian laconic, larrikan, tradition, which, while it may be rather stereotyped, is possibly worth retaining; though we may note "chicks and guys" has replaced "sheilas and blokes". The story is mildly amusing, rather than unroariously funny, but is well-acted and has its moments. ==============================================================

Funny, touching and charming

[peter-941 · 8 November 2004]

I didn't expect much, but was very pleasantly surprised. Sharp writing, terrific performances, good production values and a lot of laughs. Great to see Australians not pretending to be Americans. The director obviously has great affection for his characters and we come to share it. John Howard's reliably good (though his hilarious imitation of a cockatoo is an unexpected bonus) but the surprises are the two young people, playing Chantelle and Dominic. They are both great and we will no doubt see much more of them. Also the songs Chantelle sings are funny and spot on. I wonder if you can buy them? As long as you're not expecting car-crashes, handsome Americans who can't act or subtitles you'll love this film!

The tribulations in trying to understand your dear ones.

[f_alcon · 6/10 · 6 November 2004]

"The tribulations in trying to understand your dear ones" is one of the things I walked away with. It is also a very light examination of the modern roles and "places" of family members in a western society. It won't tell you much (hence the "light" aspect), but it should at least get you thinking.

The acting is quite excellent and given the thin story material, it is quite well directed. Laugh-out loud at times too, considering it does not try very hard (like some other films I could quote).

Overall, don't expect much and you will come out quite content. It's a shame not more of the material was explored/expanded upon: It is not too often one sees a hit-man or "standover" man disguising his profession from his family, and the consequences that can arise from such suppression efforts.

Amusing Australian Comic "Sopranos"

[noralee · 5/10 · 30 May 2005]

"A Man's Gotta Do" is an Australian "Arrested Development"-like wacky suburban family crossed with "The Sopranos," as the central characters are a thug dad who hides his profession from the daughter he dotes on.

While much of the activity in this frank drawing-room comedy is predictable and a bit silly, it is good-naturedly charming. It recalls "Muriel's Wedding," which is probably why it got U.S. distribution, as it satirically contrasts girly-girly wedding woes with bloke culture.

The actors are quite appealing, though the dad's accent is a bit thick for American ears to decipher (John Howard may have heightened local fishermen's dialect as I don't recall him being hard to understand in previous films such as "Japanese Story"). Alyssa McClelland as the daughter and Gyton Grantley as his hapless protégé are a couple to root for. Her mopey songs are amusing chick singer/songwriter satires.

The cinematography is bleached out with exaggerated cotton candy colors.

Funny with great characters

[dfrankow · 9/10 · 4 April 2005]

I just saw this movie at the Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Film Festival, and I was blown away. Sure, someone else reviewed it as "light." I think comedy is harder than drama: drama gets attention in the way we like to gawk at car accidents; comedy only works if the filmmakers create believable human characters.

Eddy (John Howard), the father, is a bloke's bloke. He's not good at understanding his daughter, and doesn't know why it matters so much anyway. However, he loves his daughter, so he works at it. The daughter Chantelle (Alyssa McClelland) did a wonderful job as a sensitive young woman. The mother and minor characters also have real personalities and quirks.

I also had the privilege of meeting the director, who attended the screening. He is also a dentist part-time (!), and described making a film in Australia. He gets government grants, but they are very competitive. You have to have international distribution and 30% of the budget already lined up (!). He spends years on each film, and knows none of them are going to make much money unless he gets very lucky, because they don't have wide distribution or much marketing. Australians don't seem to love Australian movies (you're never a star in your home town), so not much positive feedback there. I was impressed with his fortitude. Possibly he just likes making movies.

The characters here are beautifully drawn, interesting, and, yes, funny. The director is the kind of guy I wish would succeed in this cold world. See this movie!

A man with good intentions, but not so good actions

[jenssamu · 10/10 · 19 March 2006]

The movie is about a fish monger / stand-over man, Eddy (John Howard). He has to get passed several problems with himself and his family life within the movie, including - his daughters wedding, his vasectomy and his car being smashed. A question that i asked myself, throughout the movie was "Is Eddy good or bad?" People could debate over this topics until the cows come home. But i believe that Eddy is a good man at heart, even though some of the things he does and the ways he does them, are not so good. But his intentions are good and his heart is in the right place. The movie is exactly what i expected to get from a good Aussie comedy, that is Aussie slang, typical stereotypes and non stop humor.

fantastic

[danielfw · 9/10 · 25 May 2005]

I thought this movie was excellent. John Howard was awesome in his role, he had the Aussie bloke role down pat, I was in stitches!

The daughter had the quirky thing going' well, I didn't really like the mother in the movie, her acting was good, just an annoying character.

I'm trying to find out if a soundtrack was released for this movie, Some of the songs the daughter was singing in the movie were really touching, geez I'm soppy!

Seriously though, don't know why people have given this such a low rating, the plot was funny - not mind boggling - there were loads of laughs, would watch it many times over.

Another Aussie must see film

Surprising

[stevphel · 8/10 · 17 February 2007]

As an expat Australian living in Las Vegas, I managed to record this movie from the IFC channel on cable this week.

I am saddened to search the web and find that this movie received poor reviews and has no comments in the forums.

Overall, I found the movie to be a wonderful representation of the Australian character. Perhaps its because I have a daughter who is 17 and speaks (and acts) just like Chantelle.

Unfortunately, much of the humor in the movie will be lost in translation. Subtle phrases and gestures that are so Australian will not be noticed by international audiences.

Overall, the movie was a solid B in my opinion. The plot was fairly linear but the acting was top notch. Even made me a little homesick :-)

whacky movie about a hit-man and his family

[airwipe · 10/10 · 28 November 2004]

well it was May of this year that i saw this movie... it had it's premiere at Barinsdale for a fund raiser for the local hospital...

for $25 was it worth it?

yes yes it was, as far as Australian movies go this is one of the better one's; John howard's performance was excellent but what really took the spotlight was the newcomer Alyssa McClelland.

the movie has a basic storyline about a father and daughter relationship, but because Eddie (john H.) wants to support his family he will do anything to help them, which is what they don't know is that he is kinda a hit-man style guy or Mob guy that goes around getting money the dirty way.

So in conclusion this movie is worth more then the $25 i spent to see it (besides getting to met the director, nice guy really is) because it's simple storyline was much more enjoyable then a Hollywood style movie that leaves you confused and not knowing if that was the real end! but it's simplicity is what made this movie both beautiful and a winner...

10 stars.

charming suburban satire

[m_imdb-385 · 8/10 · 8 February 2006]

Enjoyed this one very much, witty and well-executed screenplay with terrific performances and a gentle undercurrent of humor throughout. John Howard was amazing as Eddy, the dad, and Alyssa Mclelland was pitch perfect as his gorgeous daughter with the voice of an angel. I am not sure why some find this movie to be less than wonderful, but I enjoyed it immensely from the first moment I laid eyes on it. It is satirical, yet evokes genuine emotion; it is very laid back, yet kept me on the edge of my seat as the plot twisted up in a knot and then unraveled (almost) before kinking up again. The fortune teller was a key plot device and the script ran a fine line between nearly serious and tongue-in-cheek in those scenes. Are all housewives in Oz as suggestible as Rebecca Frith's Yvonne? No matter, she was lovely and seductive. Gyton Grantley as Dominic wins you over from the first, too. I'd enjoy seeing all of these actors again.

"Pulp Fiction" meets "The Whole Nine Yards"

[rickhillal · 9/10 · 12 October 2007]

This spotlight on suburbia could have been filmed in just about any country -- the houses built alongside highways/carriageways, the vinyl fencing, the concrete backyard -- but this Australian precursor to "Desperate Housewives" puts the funk in dysfunctional. The soundtrack, especially the Jordan Best music sung by Alyssa McClelland in the movie, is fantastic. If a dentist role can play the straight man in "The Whole Nine Yards," then why can't a dentist direct a delightful film like this? Hope he continues to find quirky story lines to entertain us with.

The main character, Eddy, reminds me of a lot of people I know, guys who don't need to be in touch with their feelings to bring home the bread. Of course, once they discover the females in their lives are all about emotional states of mind, they get sucked into a never-ending fountain of words and seemingly trivial conversations. Should they be more sensitive? I think not.

So Much Fun!

[yespat · 10/10 · 2 February 2007]

This is one of those rare films that never lets you down. Fast paced and full of surprises. The characters, though colorful, seem based in reality even though there are several references to The Sopranos. The way the film makers chose to intersperse Soprano-like characters was quite humorous and enjoyable.

It was also enjoyable to see the vision of a brute of a man change into a pussycat, in love with his wife and daughter.

The whole story kept my interest throughout. The daughter in the film is quite talented and I kept thinking that she must be a pop star in her country of origin as she sang so well and had such interesting songs to sing.

Sheer delight. You can't go wrong on this one.

Excellent Aussie comedy

[selffamily · 9/10 · 8 June 2010]

I watched this last night, and was surprised at how funny it was. The parrot imitation was absolutely perfect (why isn't it on Youtube?) and just set the tone right for the rest of the story.

It's mild comedy, not earth shattering, about a father/daughter relationship on the rocks,a marriage on the rocks and all possible permutations from that. Dad has a nice little sideline in money-collections and a nice lady in a special relationship. There's also a fortune teller and a lot of smelly fish - thank goodness smelly-vision never arrived.

It is Perfectly acted, understated in some ways, but satisfying and with an excellent cast. John Howard can do no wrong in our family, and this was a good vehicle for him. The rest of the cast are so competent as to make it all look easy and it ends before you know it. Loved it.