Sometimes those analyzing a film miss the point of what the director was really trying to do. When you take a look at ‘A Heartbeat Away’ it’s worth remembering that its director, Gale Edwards (‘Aspects Of Love’, TV’S ‘Great Performances’) has a strong theatre background, and it’s quite obvious that Edwards has gone for campy-musical theatre feel for the film. And while it doesn’t work quite as well as what Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Moulin Rouge’ did, it certainly doesn’t deserve to be described as “one of the worst films” ever like some naysayers are saying.
Kevin Flack (Sebastian Gregory – ‘Accidents Happen’, ‘Beautiful’) is a young rock star who is trapped in a dead-end town that seems to have died decades early. His father, Edwin (William Zappa – ‘The Bridge’, TV’S ‘Underbelly Files: The Man That Got Away’) is the local Marching Band Leader who has been long remembered for his greatest failure – when the Band were washed out and lost a championship that should have been their own. Edwin has decided that it’s time to claim back the championship but when Kevin is distracted by the beautiful, Mandy (Isabel Lucas – ‘The Wedding Party’, TV’S ‘The Pacific’) he is late to pick up his father, something that results in Edwin being hit by truck. With Edwin out of action Kevin’s mother, the musically gifted Grace (Tammy McIntosh – TV’S ‘Sea Patrol’ & ‘All Saints’) urges her son to take control of his father’s band and see if he can lead them to justice. What she doesn’t count on is Mayor Riddick (Colin Friels – ‘Tomorrow When The War Began’, TV’S ‘Killing Time’) to want to sabotage her son in order to save a business deal.
The naysayers of this film should take something into account. Would seasoned veterans of Australian screen like Colin Friels and Roy Billing (TV’S ‘Underbelly Files: Infilitration’, ‘The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader’) jump on board a film if it’s script was as terrible as people are saying? No of course they wouldn’t, you only have to look at Friels portrayal of Mayor Riddick to see that the film has been written to be over-exaggerated and campy… and if that performance doesn’t convince you of the films intention, than the scenes of Kevin’s guitar playing at the Championships certainly should.
The only part of ‘A Heartbeat Away’ that deserves to be critcised is the acting performance of Isabel Lucas. She stepped up with ‘Daybreakers’ but takes two steps backwards here. She honestly appears like she is half-asleep for the most part and just dreams herself through the film. A shame really when you consider that the likes of Gregory, McIntosh and Friels really get into the spirit of the movie and seem to be having the time of their lives.
‘A Heartbeat Away’ is for those who want to go to the cinema and have fun. Light-hearted and over exaggerated this certainly isn’t a film to be taken seriously. However, screenwriter, Julie Kincade (newcomer) manages to get the serious point that big business is crushing small Australian towns across rather well and once again the audience gets to see that Sebastian Gregory is one of Australia’s most promising actors. Light-hearted fun that will you feeling happy and bubbly.
Year: 2011
Director: Gale Edwards
Stars: Colin Friels, Isabel Lucas, Roy Billing, Sebastian Gregory, Tammy McIntosh, William Zappa
Classification: CTC
Runtime: 91 mins
Rating: 