Hard working tow-truck driver and family man Darryl Kerrigan takes great pride in his home. From its close proximity to the airport, to the overhanging powerlines, to his “charming” fake chimney, in Darryl’s eyes the Kerrigan homestead is more of a castle than a house. When the Airport Authority hands him an eviction notice, Darryl takes a stand and enlists the help of his son’s bungling defence attorney to fight back in the High Court of Australia – that’s the highest court in Australia.
Shot over the course of 11 days at the cost of $19,000 AUD, The Castle is a quirky, hilarious and heartwarming comedy exported straight out of Australia. It is at once thoroughly Australia, and unlike any other Aussie movie I’ve ever seen. As a Canadian, I’m sure there are half a million jokes that I’m not catching, especially the stuff about Bonny Doon, but that didn’t diminish a thing. The haircuts are terrible in any country, and Eric Bana even has a small part as the well-spoken kickboxing son-in-law (his first feature film role, in fact!). It’s like The Honeymooners meets The Simpsons meets Mr. Smith Goes to Washington meets Crocodile Dundee – a deceptively insightful story of the little guy battling it out against big business.
I try to watch this movie once a year or so. Despite the heavy satire on how “the other half” lives, the characters are all easy to like and fun to cheer for.
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