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You can praise Clubland for being a well-made carbon copy - or condemn it. This mother-son comedy drama is not the witty behind-the-scenes look at club performers, a la Strictly Ballroom, which viewers may expect; nor is it as eloquent as Gerard Depardieu's recent, similarly themed French offering, The Singer.
Blethyn's appearance in this Australian-made feature is problematic. On the plus side, her strident, domineering mother is so good - at times the Secrets & Lies and Pride & Prejudice star has never been better - that she overshadows almost everyone else. (Only effortlessly relaxed Holden holds his own.)
On the downside, raucously English Blethyn nukes the Australianness in the story. She makes Clubland feel like any of the formula underdogs-striving-for-success tales churned out of England in the decade since The Full Monty.
Unless you like Blethyn - a lot - you could easily see Clubland on video.
The story revolves around determined, desperate and transplanted Brit Jean who spends her nights performing comedy and songs in clubs in Sydney's western suburbs.
Jean has two sons: Tim (Chittenden), who is negotiating a tricky romance with the insecure Jill (Booth), and mentally disabled Mark (Richard Wilson).
The core consists of Tim's attempts to break free of his mother, in between supposed family slapstick (Mark disappears), family drama (Jean doesn't like Jill) and odds and sods involving an audition, Jean's agent (Russell Dykstra) and her ex-husband (the welcome Holden).
Clubland is directed by Cherie Nowlan (1997's Thank God He Met Lizzie) and arrives in Australia on the crest of apparent audience enthusiasm at America's Sundance Film Festival.
While the movie is too well made to completely disappoint, its broad characters will rarely convince local audiences.
Mark is one problematic example: unless you have Leonardo DiCaprio turning in a What's Eating Gilbert Grape-sized performance, handicapped characters are reduced to shameless plugs for sympathy.
If you do buy a ticket, don't give up on the movie too soon, as did one clearly (audibly) exasperated male viewer. The fed-up viewer was justified in rejecting drippy Tim who, despite hard work from Khan Chittenden, is unengaging; female viewers won't be impressed by erratic Jill.
As a coming of age story, this tanks. Luckily, thanks to those electrifying moments from Blethyn, the story does gain traction. The second half is much better than the first.
© The Sun Herald
