Clubland Review

Clubland
An ageing comedienne (Blethyn) goes off the rails when the son she depends on finds a new girlfriend.

by Helen O’Hara |
Published on
Release Date:

21 Sep 2007

Running Time:

105 minutes

Certificate:

15

Original Title:

Clubland

Another month, another quirky Aussie indie; this time with British import Brenda Blethyn playing Jean, an ageing comedienne on the Sydney circuit. Unable to support herself and her two sons in showbiz - shy Tim (Khan Chittenden) and the brain-damaged Mark (Richard Wilson) - she also works as a dinner lady and singing teacher.

When Tim gets a girlfriend, all her professional insecurity turns Jean into a monster. While the cast give it their all, the script is uneven, failing to create much sympathy for Jean or Tim, and much of the action makes it feel like a mid-level Sunday night TV drama - except with sex scenes thrown in for good measure. Relative newcomer Wilson (The Proposition), at least, deserves better.

It feels like a Sunday night TV drama - and not a very good one at that.
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