A Month of Sundays (2015) User Reviews

SUNDAY REDEMPTION

[MadamWarden · 7/10 · 31 January 2021]

A sweet little movie with great characters and a pleasantly optimistic plot about dealing with grief and life's challenges. Lapaglia is great and the support cast excellent.

I nice little Aussie gem. Americans can learn a lot about sweet movies that you don't gag on.

A thoughtful and well-acted portrait of an emotionally convoluted archetypal Australian male who exists just this side of clinical depression.

[CineMuseFilms · 7/10 · 4 May 2016]

Some films attract critical consensus while others trigger polar opposite opinions like A Month of Sundays (2016). Australian colloquial drama is not for everyone and it takes patience to engage with slow-paced laconic narratives that rely on insider humour for meaning. Aussie horrors and dystopian thrillers are well known but there are few films that stand tall for sensitively exploring the inner world of male emotion. In fact, we have culturally fortified ourselves with a style of Ocker farce to shield us from knowing too much about what lurks within the Australian male.

Lacklustre real estate agent Frank (Anthony LaPaglia) is the quintessential Aussie bloke. He is a poor salesman and has neither the verbal wit or emotional maturity to deal with the double-barrel grief of his recent divorce or his mother's recent death. By extraordinary coincidence he takes a misdirected call from Sarah (Julia Blake) who sounds just like his mother and the few minutes on the phone fills an emotional void. One thing leads to another, they become friends, and Frank learns to open up on the various emotional fronts of his life. The sub-plot lines include redeeming the relationship with his son, resolving feelings about his wife and mother, dealing with Sarah's health issues, and experiencing the ordinary pleasure of being nice to people. It's a simple narrative arc, but dense with emotional side-tracks and blockages that Frank cannot resolve alone. Themes of emotional estrangement, aging, death and grief are lightened by the deadpan humour exchanged between Frank and his boss (John Clarke) and the constant running commentary in real estate language, a clever device that mocks the Aussie obsession with property ownership.

The filming has many long fixed frames and scenes where nothing happens except what we can infer is going on inside Frank's head. When he appears to be struggling emotionally, the recurring real estate babble kicks in to punctuate the silence while he retreats into his private world of make- believe sales talk with imaginary buyers. Some critics have panned the film's central premise and slow-burn plot, but it stands out as a thoughtful and well-acted portrait of an emotionally convoluted archetypal Australian male who exists just this side of clinical depression. Frank is ordinariness personified and not very likable at all, but he is very recognisable in this country. This is an original funny-sad look at a type of Aussie male who should watch this film for their own good.

Meanderd along pleasantly

[warren-232-934862 · 5/10 · 21 August 2016]

Seeing John Clarke in the cast was one of the main reasons that encouraged me to see 'A month of Sundays'. On that score, I wasn't disappointed, Clarke gave a polished performance with a few of his usual sarcastic/humorous one liners perfectly delivered. While obviously a film of redemption, son's trying to justify and/or prove themselves to their elders, to me the movie lacked a real plot or something to bond it together. It meandered along in its own way, much like the main character, struggling real estate salesman Franks, played by Anthony LaPaglia who did do a great impression of a Real estate agent, albeit not an over enthusiastic one ! Overall it was watchable, but for me fell a little short of being memorable.

Unexpected chaine reaction

[mmunier · 27 January 2019]

At random from the tv guide we record movies sometimes because an actor we know is quoted, the title inspires or simply because the abstract makes us curious. Why "A month of Sundays" I'd say A Lapaglia, and John Clarke did it! I had to check google for the title's meaning. I was quite satisfied in relation to this movie where one given suggestion was " a long dreary time since games and other kinds of amusement used to be forbidden on Sunday" Enjoyment is not necessarily about fun. (again words don't do it here if we don't all agree about their value) I'm trying to say I really enjoy this movie even if it was little fun. Perhaps "appreciate" would be a better choice. But I watched AMOS intently and did not mind the slow pace at all. Unlike watching 18 hrs of Indian Pacific train from Perth to Sydney! With the film, I became part of it anticipating the next development. I wish I had the writing skill of the CineMuseFilms review here as it expresses so much what I felt and know about what it's portrayed. I felt it was not far fetch as coincidences do exist and can develop into something else where there is a vacuum waiting to be filled. I'm not an Aussie block but do know some that do fit this profile too! As always I don't give rating But I did "appreciate" this effort very much

Sunday Afternoon Viewing

[iwalrus · 6/10 · 3 February 2022]

The movie goes along at a medium pace with an original theme, with a couple of twists thrown in.

The acting was all good.

Nice locations.

A good to watch on a Sunday afternoon.

Lovingly presented. A rare opportunity not to be passed up.

[andrewbunney · 9/10 · 20 April 2016]

Real estate agent Frank Mollard (Anthony LaPaglia) can't move on. Divorced but still attached, he can't connect with his teenage son. One night Frank gets a phone call from his mother who died a year ago. This leads him to explore his grief with wise elder, Sarah played by Julia Blake ('Man of Flowers', 'Prisoner', 'Innocence', 'Wolverine').

Set in the leafy suburban streets of picturesque Adelaide, it's a gentle tale of modern life during a real estate boom and of the human connection that makes a house a home. It is really about everything; parents, children, regrets, love, work, grief and ordinary people finding improbable salvation.

Adelaidey-odlians will find it especially poignant because it involves a nostalgic nod to the ¼ acre block with fruit trees that is rapidly being consigned to history. But with the superb cast, it's a very fine film, regardless. LaPaglia (ex-Norwood High School) and Julia Blake (at 79 years) are note perfect in the lead roles.

LaPaglia's real estate agent, Frank, is a sad sack with his rut deeply, sharply cut. All locations are described with his realtor's double-speak, even when he comes home to his Linden Park unit after work; "Needs a little attention, decorator's dream" etc.

Mixed with the serious themes, there's plenty to laugh at in Frank's interactions with his newly successful ex-wife played by Justine Clarke, and in his clumsy interactions with his son and potential home-buyers. His boss is played by ex-Kiwi, the beloved comic John Clarke who inevitably steals all his scenes with hilarious dead-pan contributions. There's also a hearing impaired element to the story which can make this film that rare, rich experience for the deaf community (in its closed caption version) and the wider audience.

With equal parts comedy, tragedy and heart-warming wisdom, writer director Matthew Saville (Tim Winton's 'Cloudstreet', 'Roy Hollsdotter Live' & Chris Lilley films) has created an understated masterpiece to sit alongside great suburban Adelaide films such as 'Travelling Light', 'Return Home' and 'Look Both Ways'. (Snowtown is in another genre!) Cinematographer Mark Wareham throws our streets and backyards onto the big screen with great understanding and skill, so best get yourself secure housing in Adelaide if you can, before the whole world sees this big-hearted film and comes a-bidding.

Andrew Bunney, Let's Go to the Pictures, 9-11 AM Thursday, 3D Radio, Adelaide 937FM, Digital, iTunes

Film Makers' Film That Dignifies Australia And Our Craft

[imdbusrr · 10/10 · 25 April 2016]

Even favourable external reviews of this witty, wise and beautiful film have been almost dismissive and certainly offhand. One shouldn't be surprised that the aggregated rating on Rotten Tomatoes is so preposterously low [29% at last glance- I will glance no more!]; it's a representation of the level of ignorance that's out there in official critland, especially North American critland, but as well in the UK. They have almost no clue what makes Aussies tick, and they won't get this film.

'Professional' reviewers lacking the ability to bring real wisdom to bear no matter how broad their knowledge of film, and still feel entitled to adopt such condescending tones as the following: "could find a few art house takers in Anglophone territories", "well-worn notions of redemption and acceptance". To take this tone, vaguely accusatory of unoriginality while finding it crucial to make sure the reader takes note that the reviewer has IDd at least two of the themes is a lot like that old joke in which a man wouldn't join any club that would accept him; 'I guessed what the film is about, therefore it's too easy and beneath me'.

Shakespeare dealt in 'well worn' themes. They're well worn because they are deeply required themes to be represented for humanity, and they should be eternally worked over.

One external newspaper reviewer, someone we need to know is super- clever, found fault with a long camera shot which, being a tribute to another director/film, was 'distracting'. Bring it on I say. The richer the film's material, the more there is to love. Life is also full of subplots and digressions. What's wrong with a little whimsy? It's thoroughly enjoyable. Another claims that the film's central friendship is too unconventional and that suspicions of serial killer madness might be fitting; that the film might better have been made as a thriller. What a poisonous notion, that friendships can only be allowed to exist founded on introductions by mutual friends with the right credentials.

I'd like to thank the film makers here for showing Australians what we really do still need to be reminded of, namely that the most desolate culturescape is enriched by the people who dwell therein. We have everything needed for nourishment of the soul to offer each other if we can transcend convention and ennui and only connect. There is nothing wrong with editorialising, nothing wrong with a little didacticism. Why conceal it? You don't have to agree. Just don't find fault with the fact some real values are being presented.

Australia has for years been afflicted with a housing 'bubble'. Whole generations of the population are being screwed. People can't afford to buy shelter these days, and television therefore proliferates with architecture/house/reno/interior design porn. In Month of Sundays we are shown that even profiteers in this giant racket are demoralised and damaged in such a climate of greed and exploitation.

As in another film I love, The Cave of the Yellow Dog, Month of Sundays has plenty of amusing little 'lessons'. As two people cathartically indulge grief-filled nostalgia on the site of a demolished former family home with their backs to the street, behind them processes a bunch of fairy-costumed little girls with party balloons in colours impactfully vivid. The lost past is desolation, but here behind you is the bright and alive present if only you could turn and look. A death is a cruelly unexpected breakup, but if and when you can find the courage to let go, the many colours of life await. The welcome mat is reversed: welcome to the world. Everybody is vulnerable without a single toothmark on the scenery, ever. The acting in this film is really seriously fine and so are the editing decisions.

I love a contemplative film that respects actors and the subject enough to let duration pass. This sort of style is powerfully immersive, especially for anyone who may recognise the many cultural references that bring us straight to our memories of very particularly Aussie times and places without recourse to cliché or stereotype. Not enough can be said in praise of this film. External critics, drop your complacent posturing and lift your games!

A work of Art

[chatwithmichaelmac · 10/10 · 9 July 2022]

Australian Cinema is breathtakingly unique. Usually far more nuanced, better written and beautifully acted than it's brash, loud American cousins or its often predictable British sisters. This film is equally deeply thoughtful and quietly hilarious, though it deals with some dark material. Australian films have much in common with European cinema and sensibility but remain very different.

"A Month of Sundays" is a gorgeous slow burn. With extraordinarily relatable and expert acting and a script as tight as a wine cork it's a joy to watch. Turn your phone off. Lock the front door. Pull the curtains and relish every minute.

A delicious film about difficult life issues.

[diane-34 · 10/10 · 20 May 2016]

We saw this great film at Luna Essex several days ago and both of us relished the film; it was superbly completed with an equally superb cast of film experts working at their best in all aspects of movie construction. I should not demean any one of them by mentioning our favourites; however, the actors led by LaPaglia, Julia Blake as Sarah, plus the two Clarkes bring Australian actors centre stage for this marvellous Australian movie.

We were moved by the humanity of this movie; albeit, the plot may stretch the credulity of some viewers but do not worry, it is a simple movie that examines simple life conflicts. The pieces of the plot fit very snugly together and lead to a satisfying completion.

The movie's examination of our life's passages will be reflected in viewer's acknowledgement that these instances are prevalent in the simple act of being alive. Those pieces are manifestly part of the human condition and it was a pleasure to see them handled so gently in this sweet movie.

A film that marches to the beat of its own drum. And refreshingly so!

[david-rector-85092 · 8/10 · 20 September 2016]

There is much to love about 'A Month of Sundays'. What leaps out at this viewer within its first few minutes is the distinctive rhythm and flow of this quite unique Australian feature. It's not only the pacing; its the wonderfully quixotic score by Bryony Marks; the languid editing of veteran Ken Sallows; and the off beat wry dialogue exemplified by the early repartee between satirist supremo John Clarke's 'Phillip' and Anthony La Paglia's 'Frank'. The film never adheres to the expected trajectory of contemporary drama, preferring to lurch in one direction of social satire only to abandon that and veer into deeply personal territory and in so doing giving the flawed protagonist played beautifully here by La Paglia, his hero's journey.

'A Month of Sundays' would be worth recommending alone on the above mentioned observations, but then there's the national treasure that is Julia Blake. The legendary stage and screen actress has been a familiar face for decades; and I first fell in love with her in 1979 in a TV series called 'Twenty Good Years'. There has always been an elegance but a strength and power to Julia's performances and age has neither wearied her talent nor her beauty. An alumni of Paul Cox's films as well as many other film makers, Ms Blake gives a dignified and moving performance here; one that deserves an AACTA nomination if not the prize. The chemistry that La Paglia and Blake share is crucial to the success of the narrative, and the viewer buying the coincidences and conceit that the film is built around. I can see why some other reviewers have not been able to get on board with this most unusual but universal story.

It is refreshing to experience an exploration of grief and loss and the trauma of having faced those elements - for better and worse! La Paglia's Frank may or may not be destined to be one of life's losers. A modern day Willie Loman he may well be. This movie could be espousing the philosophy that it is not what happens to you in life; it's how you deal with it. The flawed but identifiable characters in 'A Month of Sundays' ring true and that is a huge part of the movie's success. That and casting such talented people with a smartly written and directed script by Matthew Saville. It's well worth the ride.

Quiet journey of a man in crisis

[pek-61128 · 6 October 2022]

Anthony La Paglia almost carries this gentle examination of Frank Mollard, a divorced Adelaide real estate agent experiencing mid life crisis. Almost, but for a very good supporting cadt and script.

By chance, Frank meets Sarah (Julia Blake) who helps him overcome the loss of his mother. She tires of him but then feels guilty for doing so.

The great John Clarke plays Philip, Frank's sardonic real estate business partner.

Sarah makes a positive difference to both men's lives and splashes humanity into the film.

Frank's narration consists of his imaginary real estate advertisements wherever he goes, for business or otherwise.

Interesting character development with grace and style!

[Moviereviews999 · 10/10 · 3 January 2017]

When a down-on-his-luck real estate agent, named Frank, receives a phone call from a woman purporting to his mother, he plays along with the "prank" (his mother died the prior year!) until he realizes that the woman dialed his number by mistake. But his wanting to relive his life brings him to meet the lady who called him and become her friend, in a mother/son way.

While Frank's life has many more "downs" than "ups", lately, his new friend is just what he needs to find a new purpose in life.

"A Month of Sundays" achieves a delicate balance of drama, pathos and light-hearted comedy in a way that may have you shedding a few tears, along with a few shudders and laughs.

WONDERFUL

[bmangion · 10/10 · 1 October 2022]

Anthony is terrific, perfectly performed. A true Australian masterpiece, H opefully you can see the deep emotional connections made by A. L, as the transitions through the various stages of the movie. I you dont well this movie is not for you. The supporting cast do a stella job in painting the strong emotional connections that are repaired through the course of the movie.

The support cast are perfect, they all blend into the plot seamlessly helping the star A. L.choose the paths that lead him to the changeshe needs to make to get his life on track.

Great Australian drama that has not been given the acalades it deserves.

Poignancy with subtle humour

[jpurssey-2 · 9/10 · 10 July 2022]

A time in the life of a Real Estate Agent, currently unsuccessful in sales, relationships with son and ex-wife ("This divorce isn't working for me.") and life seen from Real Estate Agent's views and phraseology. This and several exchanges give a comedic slant to the film that the characters are unaware of, or perhaps only vaguely aware of, but there is also poignancy as a friend leads him into a second chance at life.

The balance of subtle humour and poignancy kept me watching.

Perfect

[robertvere · 10/10 · 24 June 2021]

I stumbled upon this wonderful film (IMDB 6.1, seriously?) looking for an Australian movie on the library streaming service Kanopy. It's so good that I'm going to watch it again even though Kanopy only allows 4 movie viewings per month. It's worth it. Don't miss it.

Totally engaging

[johnnyrogers2013 · 10/10 · 9 October 2021]

A beautiful touching film on several levels. Superb acting. Anthony LaPaglia, Julia Blake are totally engaging with the identifiable characters they portray. The humour laid back and dry due in part to the writing and the contributions I think of John Clark in the supporting cast, who as one review says on this site, just about steals every scene he is in. Set in Adelaide. The camera work adds much to the story telling. A fine example of Australian film making and story telling. Watched it on SBS October 2021. Time well spent.