REVIEW - Not Suitable For Children (2012)

Rom Com's have gotten a bad reputation in the last few years, with stinkers like JLo, Katherine Heigl and Jennifer Aniston polluting the genre with fluffy, useless nonsense it was only time before one came along that changed the game. In this case we are talking about the new Australian film Not Suitable For Children starring Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) Ryan Corr (Packed To The Rafters) and newcomer Sarah Snook.

The initial premise of the film may shock and surprise you, Jonah (Kwanten) finds a cancerous lump and is told that he won't be able to have children. It doesn't strike you as a comedy and the winning factor of this movie was combining humour in an impossible situation, while also making it a very real and relatable story.

Jonah is a twenty-something party boy who is infamous for his one night stands and taking no responsibility or commitment in his life. He lives with Gus (Corr) the legendary party entrepreneur and the third housemate Stevie (Snook) the sensible, mature one filled with plenty of zingers and sarcastic wit, she strikes a resemblance to Emma Stone with her comedic timing and red locks.

News of the impending children restriction sends Jonah into a crazed frenzy and he has three weeks to find a girl and get her pregnant to have a child. Stevie lends a hand helping with attempts for old girlfriends, lesbian couples, older career women, but after several rejections it comes down to just one girl, Stevie. It sounds formulaic and predictable but the story and humour is woven so intelligently you will be cheering the two on by the time it gets there.

The script is written by Offspring creator Michael Lucas who knows his way around awkward humour and dramatic situations and is complemented by first time director Peter Templeman ( a short film Oscar nominee in 2007 and director of Bogan Pride).  The script, direction and acting are actually flawless and this movie shows that Australian movies can be great and that we should make more of them in this genre if given to the right director and writer which shines through in this movie.

The lead trio Jonah, Gus and Stevie steal the show with a seemingly natural chemistry and the characters strengths and weaknesses compliment each other and give a sense to a real group of friends living in Sydney, stuck in this impossible situation.

Overall this movie is definitely one to catch at the movies, it is rare that we throw our support behind an Australian film as so many of them are below par, however Not Suitable For Children hits all the right notes with its humour, story and performances by actors and directors involved.



Review by Alaisdair Dewar