Regular readers will know it pains me to say negative things about an Australian film so I’m sad to report that there’s pain a comin’ here.
Palm Beach is an Australian drama that follows a group of old friends gathering for a weekend for one of their birthdays. Happily birthday boy (Frank - Bryan Brown) is loaded and lives in Palm Beach in Sydney’s northern beaches so the scenery is stunning and the booze and great food is flowing freely. If nothing else this film will make you crave some delicious grilled prawns and a glass of expensive champagne.
The group are all battling various dramas life throws at you, especially as you age. Think an actress being offered the part of a grandmother for the first time, a guy not being able to get an erection anymore and a woman battling breast cancer, for example. Of course there’s a secret among them and things appear to be about to blow up when one of them (Leo - Sam Neill) declares to another (Charlotte - Greta Scacchi) that he’s not inclined to keep said secret anymore. No more for fear of spoilers but I’ll say that I never really felt invested in the drama or mystery to feel compelled to care much about the fate of the characters.
I wanted to love Palm Beach reeeaaal bad. The cast is chock full of impressive names - Richard E Grant, Jacqueline McKenzie in addition to those already mentioned - but they didn’t have a compelling enough storyline to work with in my view. There were times it was hard to escape the conclusion that it was a bit of a soap opera… an episode of Home and Away with far superior production values, if you will. The friend I saw it with concurred.
I’m conscious I’m not the target audience for this film (I assume it’s aimed primarily at the 50+ market who can relate to the main characters) so I pondered whether my parents would enjoy it and I just don’t think they would to be honest.
In the interests of fairness, here’s a 3.5 star review in the Fairfax press and a 2 star review in The Guardian.
This isn’t a dreadful way to spend an hour and a half but I can’t put my hand on heart and recommend you rush out for it. Maybe when it pops up on TV.
Palm Beach opens 8 August and is rated M. Trailer here.