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Immediately after the climactic moment of the Australian comedy-drama Clubland, its star Brenda Blethyn is shown onstage at a Sydney RSL club singing Nutbush City Limits. Accompanied by Frankie J. Holden, she’s also performing the traditional dance steps. It’s a nice cue for the movie’s final fade-out, lightly summing up its affection for the characters’ dagginess. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fade out there but overstates the point by subjecting us to the entire musical number.
Clubland could have done with a lighter touch, especially with Blethyn’s role. Presumably, when you get a multi-award-winning actress coming to make an Australian movie, you need to give her plenty of scenes and, fabulous as she is, here she outstays her welcome.
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Talented actors Russell Dykstra (as Jean’s gay agent), Rebecca Gibney and Philip Quast are also on hand, but ultimately Clubland tries too hard to be a crowd-pleaser.
© Sydney Star Observer
