You And Your Stupid Mate

Cast: Nathan Phillips, Angus Sampson, Rachel Hunter, William McInnes, Madeleine West, Tayler Kane, Akmal Saleh, Simon Gowling, Samir Malik, Natalie Garonzi
Director: Marc Gracie
Screenplay: Dave O'Neil, Mark O'Toole
Genre: Comedy
Rated: M low level coarse language
Running Time: 86 Minutes

Mates For Life. Stupid Forever.

Synopsis:
Jeffrey and Philip have been friends forever. They went to school together, they even live together in an outer suburban caravan park. Things are going pretty well for the boys. They are happily unemployed, and in their spare time, work on their "real" jobs - Jeffrey spends all day on the World Wide Web, while Philip rehearses for his showbiz career (he is a long term cast member of the Scout and Guides Gang Show).

Each night at six thirty they hit the couch to see what is happening to the gang on their favourite show 'Sons and Surf'. For Jeffrey and Philip, life is good, until....

My Verdict:
Jeffrey and Philip are two lovable, harmless mates who are oblivious to just how simple they are. They live a carefree, uncomplicated life together in a suburban Australian caravan park, usually rising mid-morning, regularly check out the female talent at the caravan park and never missing their 6.30pm soapie 'Sons and Surf'. Jeffrey is also devoted to the World Wide Web and is the convenor of the unofficial website for 'Sons and Surf, whilst Philip is dedicated to his pursuit of becoming actor by his involvement in the Scouts Gang Show. Their life is just drifting along until three things happen - they find out the have been put on a work for the dole scheme, that a freeway is going to be built right through the middle of the caravan park and that 'Sons and Surf' is going to be axed at the end of the year. It is these three events that will change the way Jeffrey and Philip see their lives.

Nathan Phillips is Philip and plays him as a naïve guy with a healthy respect for underachieving and he is so dopey it is endearing. Angus Sampson is Jeffrey and really does simple guy with a heart of gold well. They make a great dynamic duo, having been mates virtually forever, with their mindless array of pranks portrayed from the get-go - the burning paper bag on someone's front doorstep with the unsuspecting owner stomping on and finding the bag full of (dog) shit after the pair ring the doorbell and then run just beyond reach is just one that the pair have in their repertoire. It also opens the door for the catchcry for "you and your stupid mate" which arises at the end of the pranks.

Added to these are the endless calamities that befall the pair whilst undertaking jobs that the over-eager work for the dole case manager Peter (William McInnes relishing his role) has organised for them. Peter has his own demons to deal with, stemming from the phallic birthmark on his cheek, and is determined to make Jeffrey and Philip work, even resorting to sending them off to become sewerage workers. Writers Dave O'Neil and Mark O'Toole are really scraping for material having to resort to blocked toilet humour, which, really could have been left out, and it does tarnish the film.

'You And Your Stupid Mate' is very clichéd but in an amusing sort of way as it certainly feels like it's meant to be like that. From the soapie the boy's watch, the actors from the soapie, the caravan park where the boys live, the other residents of the caravan park and just everything in Jeffrey and Philips life, the formula continues albeit delightfully moving along inch by inch to a neat and tidy conclusion. This is not meant to be deep and meaningful.

'You And Your Stupid Mate' is a comedy that is very Australian and looks very Australian but that is not a bad thing at all. Rather it makes it more believable for most of us have probably met a pair of characters just like Jeffrey and Philip. This really is pure harmless fun, and there's no harm in that.

Christina Bruce