The Sapphires (2013)

Pretty Good

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

A good-time, 60's musical drama set in the unlikely locations of rural Australia and the U.S. Army bases of Vietnam as we follow the on-the-road adventures of four young Aboriginal cousins who form a close-harmony girl-group but who get frozen out at local talent shows due to white prejudice. Then, with the help of boozy, seat-of-his-pants, soul-music loving Irish musical arranger, Chris O'Dowd, they escape their small-town surroundings and get a gig touring said army bases having been made-over by him into a Supremes-type, crowd-pleasing outfit who of course go over big with the young, mostly black G.I.'s who make up their audience. Various romantic entanglements follow, not unnaturally as the girls hit their hormonal stride as well as other highs and lows as they end their dramatic tour-of-duty and return back home for the predictable but still welcome happy ending for pretty much everyone.Drawing on the shared racism by black Americans fighting for their country while back home the civil rights movement is in full swing with the less well-known racism experienced by the Aborigine community at the hands of the majority white "gubba" population, the film attempts and largely succeeds in improbably mixing this in with the more showbizzy musical backdrop as the girls knock out highly creditable versions of the great soul numbers of the day from the Motown, Stax and Atlantic labels.Somehow then this unlikely mix of "M.A.S.H." crossed with "The Commitments" works, largely down to the commitment (sorry) of its cast. The four girls gell well together, each with their own defined characteristics, handily explained to us late-on by O'Dowd's Dave Lovelace character while O'Dowd delivers another entertaining turn as the hard-bitten manager who softens to his protégés once they hit the road.The story is naturally episodic as the girls fall into one adventure after another and not all of them come to the light, to quote Sam and Dave, but its heart and soul are in the right place and if you're a dyed-in-the-wool soul boy like you'll love the dynamic soundtrack of sweet late 60's and 70's soul music too.

The music is great and yes, this 'based on a true story' film is well worth watching just to see and hear the insanely talented Jessica Mauboy (as "Julie") sing, but it's the performance of Chris O'Dowd which really holds this film together from start to finish, albeit in a sometimes rather stereotypical manner. There are, annoyingly, a remarkable number of goofs that bring you "out" of the immersive experience that film watching should be (the impact of which I guess will depend on your age and knowledge of Australian history). I'd recommend watching this film when it plays on free-to-air TV (record it on your PVR and FF through the ad breaks). It's certainly low on language, violence and sexualised content so suitable for watching with young teens. Older viewers will enjoy the music and IT Crowd fans will enjoy seeing O'Dowd in this major film role; without him as the cohesive male lead, the film would be relegated to just another fair-to-middling Australian film, quickly forgotten. Except for Mauboy's standout voice.

The Sapphires (2012)Wow, can I just say, "super cute" and leave it at that? It's a total feel good story about four Aborigine Aussies who can sing! And they sing their way (via Motown and R&B) to Vietnam in front of American troops, who love it.And so you have to love it. The music soars, the tragedy of the war is held out of view but is implied in different ways, and the abilities of these young women make it all heartwarming. And impressive. Against the odds kind of material.The one additional actor who is key is Chris O'Dowd, playing a down on his luck musician. He sees, barely, the talent of these women and decides to "manage" them, which he really does pretty well, helping them apply to a contest. And so on, to the "top" of the short ladder they are climbing. There are no gold records here, just good music. O'Dowd is comic relief, but also at ease and stabilizing to the movie, adding a necessary second layer. A good fit.That's the long and the short of it. The Sapphires were real (and at the end of the movie you see a tiny bit of the real women). They were a cover band, you might say, but a really sweet and talented cover band. And they chose music that had soul, that mattered to the times, the late 1960s. Good stuff. Just enjoy it.

The problem with being a movie critic (here or anywhere) is the need to find common ground. If you are writing to a crowd conditioned to believe that every new Hollywood product is better than the last, or an "action" film MUST (simply must!) be great because it has whats-his-name is it, then frankly it is time to turn in the old keyboard for a toaster oven. I say this because I notice that, on IMDb, positive reviews get a positive reader response and negative reviews generally don't. In Psych 101, they call this "cognitive dissonance" and has to do with human nature -- many review readers prefer to read the reviews AFTER seeing the film, to seek agreement, rather than BEFORE, to seek wisdom. OK, sorry for the diatribe. To make it up to you, I will say that this film is a high-9. The script, the production values, the performances, are a joy. In fact, in my view, that is the key to the film. Joy. The secret to the 1960s (for those of you who were not there) is that for a short time it seemed (not making this up) like the forces of Light and Dark in the universe were struggling, and Light was about to win. In fact it did not turn out that way -- look at where we are today, look at the last half dozen presidents, look at the Japan disaster. But -- the point -- this wonderful film is not only superb entertainment on its own, but somehow succeeds in capturing the essence of the era. Hope and Joy. Even in the one "scary" scene (bullets flying, one of the main characters gets hit) we have fast segue to a love letter being read aloud, and that takes away the sting immediately. I defy anyone to watch this film and not feel better afterwards than they felt before. BTW, Chris O'Dowd and Deborah Mailman steal all their scenes together, which is hard to do, considering how solid the ensemble cast is. Loved it. You will too.