Sucker (I) (2015) User Reviews

Great Example of Media Ecology

[A_Different_Drummer · 6/10 · 14 January 2016]

First and for clarification I am not from Australia and therefore I am disinclined to give this film a wonderful glowing review comparing it to Star Wars, Return of the Force. But special thanks to the cast and crew for trying this anyway.

Now that we have that misconception dealt with, I will say that this film reminds me of the discussion on Media Ecology that the late Professor McLuhan used to give. The idea is to do the best you can with every opportunity to present media (entertainment) because society as a whole has to consume what is produced and you do not want to feed junk into the collective psyche.

This film is ecological, that is, it never pretends to be more than it is is. It is an indie low-budget little drama that essentially stars a trio of 3 actors and tries to sustain full screen length. It succeeds but only barely. There are too many boring stretches and too many spots where you think to yourself, I wish the screenwriter had done THAT instead of THAT, it would have been a much better movie.

For the first few minutes, you actually think you have found an Aussie Ferris Bueller. And then you realize, no way.

Fine but not great

[conan-2 · 5/10 · 12 September 2016]

I saw this as part of AACTA screenings. I was neither pleased nor disappointed by this movie.

The movie is based on a comedy stage show. I found issues with this as it was not particularly well structured. This movie shows a good sized budget with the fine cast with Timothy Spall doing his schtick. Spall is good but too much of a caricature to be believable, he pulls out some of his older pieces from Potter, Willows et al, the problem I had was that as a conman you should not see him coming, he needs to be believable instead he is a larger than life parody.

The principle character, Lawrence, is supposed to grow if it is a coming of age. Other than the final act he seemed totally out of his depth until he suddenly became a master card shark.

This movie needed development. There was stuff about con artists not having friends but I needed to see the loneliness of this life. The cons looked a bit high school, I can understand the opening as Lawrence learns but he needed to be en pointe by the end.

Ehhh, Okay I guess...

[laserkid_24 · 4/10 · 9 October 2016]

This is the type of movie that you would watch once and never again. It was as if the actors were really stiff and didn't play a natural role, leading us viewers wondering why the heck don't they just act normal!? Acting is very average and screenplay quite stale. The story line is okay, but probably could have not been so predictable. From the very beginning you already knew how the movie will play out. John Luc doesn't fit the charter too well at all. It was really cringe worthy and so many times i just wanted to turn off the movie but i stuck it out. However, did love that it was filmed in Australia. Well done for that. Lets just hope they don't make a follow up of this movie!

Overall, it's an okay movie that could have been better?

Simple, refined, and humorous drama

[Zengster · 15 August 2015]

Sucker is, in some ways, a subtle coming-of-age film. It explores stereotypes, love, and perhaps most importantly, self-discovery. That's not to say that this is an solemnly serious film - there are plenty of comedic moments that exploit cultural norms and realities.

Lawrence's (John Luc) journey with con-artist The Professor (Timothy Spall) and Sarah is, for the most part, exciting and edited skillfully enough to not be mundane. The film has excellent visual direction with camera angles and cuts all chosen cautiously and adeptly.

Nonetheless there are some problems with pacing. At 90 minutes, the film feels a tad too rushed. As a result, both the story and the characters are not fleshed out as much as they could have been. For what Sucker is aiming to achieve, however, in terms of its thematic simplicity, the running time is not that significant an issue. I do feel however that another 15 minutes would have given the film more closure.

Internet sensation Mychonny's debut on the big screen is definitely worth a watch. It's a simple but relatable story elevated by a wonderful cast and a pleasing tonal consistency.

mediocre

[libertysky · 4/10 · 18 January 2016]

Cheesy screenplay, main protagonist has a really weird accent. I have never heard a Chinese guy speak like that. It's like one of those YouTube user providers who force a fake British accent that just sounds lame.

I suppose it's the character, but the character is a loser through and through. It made me cringe to see a negative stereotype being perpetuated.

Overall, the story seemed like it was written by a high school student. There were a few (very few) redeeming scenes that might have belonged in a better class movie.

Underrated Well-written Con Artist Coming of Age/Comedy

[CelluloidDog · 8/10 · 16 July 2016]

I'm not sure what most people are thinking. Even most critics are bizarrely off in reviewing this comedy. I'm not sure what they were watching but it might not have been this film. First, it's actually well-written and well-acted. Ben Chessell and Lawrence Leung came up with the screenplay and did a terrific job off of Leung's in-person stage act. Timothy Spall was a charm as The Professor. John Luc and Lily Sullivan were solid. The film is lively in its angles, replayed scenes and twists. There are plenty of comments that this is a oft-told story about scamming but in reality, this film is very original. I have seen maybe 6,000 films but nothing like this. Zengster's review (among users) is actually the most accurate (7/10).

So you have an original well-written film about an Asian Australian teenager who joins up with a father/daughter con-artist team. Some critics said there is nothing likable about the characters. Of course, if they were watching the movie, they might have noticed Sarah and The Professor both saying, they don't have friends. They are cheaters, scammers and more. But in the end, you realize, The Professor is a better person than we give credit for.

So the few reviews said it's unoriginal since it goes by every scam in the book. Really? I will bet 98% of the audience doesn't know these scams or names of the scams. But as the film says, we all lie. So the audience pretends to know the story. But that's the hook. And people don't get it. It's a small budget film that is about the coming-of-age of an innocent Asian Australian boy who falls for a girl. The story is that love takes us to doing things we don't expect. In the end, Lawrence is the man who pulls it off.

The real problem is that I think most people are uncomfortable with an Asian Australian kid running after a white Australian girl. Who ever heard of an Asian kid (John Luc who plays Lawrence) playing the lead role in an Australian film? It's not a box office draw, but a risky proposal. A second problem is that the humor is lightweight despite being quite clever. The screenplay is quite witty but most people probably don't understand the humor. Third, it's small-time stuff. People don't get excited about small time. People would rather see Ocean's 11 which is not as original, well-written or witty. Or see Catch Me if You Can which is more glamorous but lacks the writing depth. Sometimes it's better to have a crude film with lots of action or silliness and not play on cultural, sophisticated humor or wordplay. It's more sophisticated than people give it credit: such as the ending scene with Leung playing cards ("One queen and two jokers") or when Leung walks off with Luc.

In summary, this film is just ahead of its time; people are not ready for this film. It's a pleasant minor hidden gem which I would rate about 6.9-7.1 but I gave it 8 stars just to catch up in the ratings.

This movie is amazing!!!

[josephvprincipe · 10/10 · 21 October 2015]

I'm proud to say that I was apart of the lucky group of people who got to see this splendid movie at its premiere and boy was it amazing.

This movie blew my socks off, literally. After the movie finished I had to search the entire cinema just to find them because they just flew right off my feet.

The story is an inspirational tale of young Asian teenager (YouTuber, John Luc AKA MyChonny) trying to find true calling in life after he's caught cheating on his medical exam. He eventually finds it learning how to scam people from master swindler (Timothy Spall aka the rat in Harry Potter) and his sometimes hot daughter (Lily Sullivan, great actress).

This is one of the few Australian movies that make Aussie cinema proud! (Unlike 'Australia'.. what on Earth happened there?)

It's YouTuber MyChonny's first official acting role and you can tell he was at ease from all of his years of experience acting as Asian mum, Asian dad, Asian boy, Asian girl and the list goes on.

In conclusion the movie is a interesting, well thought out story by Lawrence Leung and Ben Chessell did an amazing job directing it, his cinematography skills are truly something special.

I highly recommend this movie!

P.S. Did anyone notice how buff Chonny looked? WHAT A BOD!!

LIES FOR PROFIT AND PLEASURE

[nogodnomasters · 8/10 · 7 May 2018]

Lawrence (John Luc) is a teen from a Chinese family living in Australia. He has taken up with a con artist and his daughter who he finds attractive. He teaches Lawrence the art of the con, using truisms like "You can't cheat and honest man" to justify the scams.

This is a light Australian drama/comedy that was mildly clever and entertaining. In addition to learning about cons, Lawrence gets a valuable lesson about life. Not "The Sting" or "Brothers Bloom" but enjoyable nonetheless.

From IMDB: "The film is the adaptation of comedian/actor Lawrence Leung's critically acclaimed award-winning one-man theater show SUCKER. The original live show was a critical and sell-out success at the Edinburgh Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Sydney Opera House."

Guide: No F-words, sex, or nudity.