If you going to attempt to pull off a kooky film that mixes black comedy with drama then you better pray that your script not only works… but works to it’s absolute best. Luckily for new Aussie film ‘Accidents Happen’ it does work wonderfully well. And while I could sit here and write a massive article on how the inclusion of Geena Davis (TV’S ‘Exit 19’ & ‘Commander-In-Chief’) takes away the Aussie identity in this film and how I’d be willing to bet on the fact that Brian Carbee’s (‘In Search Of Mike’) original script wasn’t set in America until Screen Australia saw the big bucks flashing, but instead I’ll review this by what I saw on the screen… and that was a damn fine film indeed.
An accident one night leaves the Conway family devastated. One sibling dies and another ends up with brain damage. Mum, Gloria (Geena Davis) goes off the rails, Dad, Ray (Joel Tobeck – TV’S ‘Tangle’ & ’30 Seconds’) leaves the family and twin brother, Larry (Harry Cook – ‘Caught Inside’, TV’S ‘My Place’) becomes an alcoholic. That just leaves Billy (Harrison Gilbertson – ‘Australian Rules’, ‘Blessed’) to hold everything together. But when he and his friend, Doug Post (Sebastian Gregory – ‘Beautiful’, ‘Acolytes’) play a prank that results in killing Doug’s father Tiny (Troy Planet – ‘Ghost Rider’, TV’S ‘Stupid, Stupid Man’), the two boys once again find their lives clouded by tragedy.
The one thing that shines through clearly in this film is that Sebastian Gregory knows how to pick a good script. All the films in his career so far have been gems and he continues that streak here. Director, Andrew Lancaster (‘Syntax Error’, ‘In Search Of Mike’) has created something pretty special here. The black comedy and drama of ‘Accidents Happen’ blend in so well that it takes this film and places it in the realm of brilliant films like ‘The Safety Of Objects’ (dir: Rose Troche). The script works beautifully with the audience being drawn in the with drama around the tragedies that occur and also being given the odd moment were they can enjoy a cheeky giggle at some black comedy.
Lancaster has also brilliantly cast this film. Erik Thomson and Gregory shine in smaller roles while Harrison Gilbertson really announces himself into the Australian acting world. He is a joy to watch in an extremely difficult role to portray. He deserves a big congratulations. The only let down is Geena Davis who really doesn’t shine as much as she should. Being the big international star in this film should be something she relishes but she really doesn’t shine through as much as she should and she is out-acted by her younger cast mates.
‘Accidents Happen’ is a real surprise packet. It sneaks up on you and really announces it. With a terrific script this is one black comedy/drama that works sensationally well. This could be your guilty pleasure of 2010.
Year: 2009
Director: Andrew Lancaster
Stars: Geena Davis, Joel Tobeck, Harry Cook, Harrison Gilbertson, Sebastian Gregory, Troy Planet, Andrew Lancaster, Erik Thomson
Classification: M
Runtime: 92 mins
Rating: 