Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: Rachel Ward, Entertainment, M 100 Minutes.
Aussie director Rachel Ward (‘Beautiful Kate’) has framed a comedy-drama around a few old friends brought together for a birthday bash for Frank (Bryan Brown –‘Australia Day’) at his plush Palm Beach home where past resentments and surprises soon appear.
Besides his wife Charlotte (Greta Scacchi –‘Amanda’) and grown-up children, Dan (Charlie Vickers -TV’s ‘Medici’) and Ella (Matilda Brown -TV’s ‘The Caravan’) attending, Frank has invited Leo (Sam Neill –‘Sweet Country’) with his wife Bridget (Jacqueline McKenzie –‘The Gateway’).
Joining the party are Billy (Richard Grant –‘Logan’), his actress wife Eva (Heather Mitchell –Pimped’), Holly (Claire van der Boom –‘Battlecreek’) and boyfriend Doug (Aaron Jeffrey –‘Rip Tide’), each linked to Frank’s former Pacific-Sideburns band headlined by Leo and Billy.
With everyone enjoying their first day reunion it doesn’t take long for Leo to raise his resentment towards Frank in relation to Charlotte’s one-night stand and the consequence of a clandestine pact concealed over 20 years earlier.
Despite Leo’s resentful attitude and Billy’s mocking behaviour, Frank cannot avoid upsetting everyone – especially his wife Charlotte – yet it still does not stop the male members in the group going surfing or grudgingly helping Frank build his pizza oven.
A critical turn of events takes place when his son Dan is involved in a boating accident with his girlfriend Caitlin (Frances Berry’s first feature film) and is rushed to hospital which then changes Frank’s difficult relationship with him.
Following Dan’s release from hospital the accident has a considerable impact on Frank’s future relationship with Charlotte, his family and reunited friends, making him finally appreciate the true value of friendship
Ward’s storyline is no different from those stories of old friends reuniting and later resulting in such resentments arising similar to the scenario presented in ‘Palm Beach’ due to envy and the depression within some older people.
Still there is no denying the enjoyment derived from watching Ward’s enjoyable and highly emotive film set against the beautiful but stunning backdrop of Palm Beach which does provide a glimpse into the lifestyle of the rich and famous.
Apart from the movie’s darker moments, what contributes mostly to its entertainment factor are the convincing performances of Brown (Rachel Ward’s husband), Grant, Neill and the almost unrecognisable Scacchi who appeared with Harrison Ford in ‘Presumed Innocent’.
Vic’s Verdict: 3 Stars
