The Delinquents (1989)

Overrated

Brilliant and touching

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

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

This is the only movie I have ever walked out of. I couldn't bear wasting any more of my life watching it. I don't remember the storyline much (I guess because it was forgettable), but do remember the sets being utterly ridiculous e.g. all the cars were from the era, but they all looked like they'd just driven off the showroom floor - in fact better than showroom condition. In what world are all cars like this? Every aspect of the sets were like that. Not well thought out.On the weird side I saw this in a cinema in George St in Sydney when it came out, and the power went out for about 45 seconds. I found out later this was at the exact moment that the owner of the cinema chain who had recently died, was having his funeral at this exact moment, freaky!

Now that she is so well known as a pop star, it seems strange to think that Kylie Minogue was once better known as an actress; indeed, when her first hit "The Locomotion" came out it was dismissed as a soap star's attempt at a novelty record. "The Delinquents" was Kylie's first feature film, a teenage romance set in the Australia of the 1950s. The word "delinquent" normally means a criminal, often a teenage hooligan, but the young people shown in this film do not, at first sight, appear to fit that definition at all.Lola Lovell and Brownie Hansen are working-class teenagers from the small town of Bundaberg. Both are from difficult family backgrounds, having grown up without their fathers. Lola is the daughter of an unmarried mother; Brownie's parents are divorced. Lola's mother is, outwardly, a devout Catholic but inwardly a narrow-minded hypocrite. Brownie's mother is weak and can do nothing to protect him from his obnoxious stepfather Bert, a man who demands respect from Brownie and thinks he can compel it by administering vicious beatings. It is therefore hardly surprising that the youngsters, starved of affection, should fall madly in love. Lola becomes pregnant and they attempt to run away together, but this attempt is frustrated by their parents. Despite her Catholic principles, Lola's mother forces her to have an abortion (presumably legal in Australia at this period, when it was still illegal in Britain).The most interesting part of the film comes when Brownie does manage to leave home and finds a job as a merchant seaman. His father was an American sailor (was this detail added to explain away Charlie Schlatter's accent?), and Brownie's great ambition has always been to follow him in a career at sea. Lola also manages to escape from Bundaberg and makes her way to Sydney, where she and Brownie are reunited. For a time, it looks as though all will end happily, but their problems are just beginning.We Poms frequently look on Australia as a relaxed, tolerant society, but the country we see here is anything but. It was, of course, Australia which gave the word "wowser" (killjoy) to the English language, and according to an Australian friend of mine the word can refer not only to narrow-minded moralists but also to high-minded idealists who make it their business to mind everyone else's, in the interests of the greatest happiness of the greatest number. (One legend, unfortunately not supported by the compilers of dictionaries, has it that the word is an acronym for We Only Want Social Evils Removed). There are plenty of wowsers of this sort in the film.Brownie and Lola are arrested by the police and charged with "vagrancy". The film never explains exactly what the elements of this crime are under Australian law, but it would appear that it is sufficient to be young and short of money. (Under English law a person can only be convicted of vagrancy if they attempt to support themselves by begging, something which Brownie and Lola never do).Brownie is fined, but Lola, being under eighteen, is taken into care and forbidden to see Brownie again. This is presented not as a punishment but rather as being for her own good. "It's for your own good" is the watchword of every high-minded wowser, and one we hear a lot in this film. (It was, for example, for Lola's "own good" that she was forced to have an abortion). For Lola's own good she is sent to live with Auntie Westbury, a court-approved foster mother, and a first-class wowser in her own right. Auntie is played by Melissa Jaffer as Australia's most monstrous suburbanite since Edna Everage, an amusing caricature of the complacent, middle-aged middle-class square who disapproves of young people and all their ways, especially sex and rock music. When Lola rebels against Auntie's regime, she is sent to reform school. For her own good, of course. There is a subplot involving Lola's friends Lyle and Mavis, a married couple; when Mavis dies their young daughter is taken away from its father and put into care on the grounds that he is unemployed. (For which read: because he is poor, working-class and therefore unlikely, in the eyes of high-minded wowsers, to prove a good father).Most of the film rarely rises above the level of a sentimental soap opera in which Lola and Brownie are the idealised heroes and, with a few exceptions, the adults (anyone over twenty) the villains. Those exceptions are Lyle and Mavis and, to some extent, the ship's bosun who befriends Brownie, although even he has his blind spots; he advises Brownie not to get involved with Lola as romance might be an impediment to his seafaring career. There are no particularly memorable acting performances; on the basis of this film, Kylie was probably wise to concentrate on her singing rather than her acting. She is fine when portraying Lola as a sweet and innocent young thing, less so when her character turns truculent and rebellious under severe provocation from the System. The film is, however, worth watching for those scenes which provide an insight into fifties' Australia at its most reactionary. 6/10

The 1989 Australian movie, ‘The Delinquents', is a grand look into the conservative 1950's Australia, how harsh it was for young people to live and be in love. Yet this movie also has a good feel to it and shows what defiance can do for your life. Although it can make it extremely hard, it also liberates teenagers and allows them to choose the life they want for themselves. Adolescences – the time when teenage friendship boils over into adult desire … and the time when Lola Lovell meets a boy called Brownie Hansen. Too young to be together, too in love to be apart, Lola and Brownie's obsessive passion for each other breaks all the rules laid down by their parents and society. Quickly branded as rebels and defiant troublemakers, they will be forced to face the hardest punishment of all – separation! But NO person, NO law and NO institution will ever keep them apart. To Lola and Brownie, the first love is the ONLY love there is. This movie's screenplay is based upon a novel of the same written by Criena Rohan. I believe that it would be an interesting read, as it looks into a very historical time in the Australian country and allows us to understand that young people especially, were not give the freedom and respect that they deserved. The story also has a very strong love story placed within it and the characters we are presented with take risks, some worth it, some not. But all in all, they prove that risks are a big part of growing up. The screenplay for this film by Clayton Frohman, certainly gives a good insight into all these areas. Although this film might seem slow, mushy and only for romantics, it is presented in a most noteworthy way. Director Chris Thomson allows us to see how hard the times are, especially for Lola and Brownie. He certainly leaves nothing to the imagination when it comes to seeing both of these characters being violated. I also feel it is the good work of Thomson that we get a historically correct recreation of the times, as places like Melbourne, Brisbane and Bundaberg, look the way they would have been back in the 50's. The main stars in the film are Brownie (Charlie Schlatter) and Lola (famous Australian Icon Kylie Minogue). These two characters quickly developed a very intense, romantic and physical relationship. Brownie is a guy that is abused by father and the law (and the film clearly shows this), while Lola, who is deeply love struck, is treated very harshly by her conservative/liberal mother (Angela Punch-McGregor). The pair in their own way stand up for themselves. Although Schlatter has little to say here, is effective as Brownie. He really is a good guy. Kylie looks ‘stunning' and is great as the young girl who grows up quickly. She has some of the more memorable lines in the film and one of the best moments in the movie has to be when Lola right hooks (punches) her Aunt Westbury (Melissa Jaffer) in the face. Brownie and Lola have some friends in the midst of all these bad people in their lives. Brownie is befriended by his sailing boss Bosun (the late Bruno Lawrence), who is a man that deeply cares for Brownies well-being. Bruno is great in this film and is from the popular Current Affairs spoof ‘Frontline'. While Brownie and Lola meet a happy couple Lyle (Todd Boyce) and Mavis (Desirée Smith). What happens to this couple is very tough, but this helps Brownie and Lola, and is another moving moment in the film. The soundtrack to this movie is just wonderful and adds to the historical time and romantic feel that the story has. Songs from it include ‘Only You' ‘Since I Met You Baby' ‘She's My Baby', ‘Great Balls of Fire' and ‘Lucille'. While we have a song from Kylie herself entitled ‘Tears on My Pillow' and another song by the Aussie act Johnny Diesel (aka Mark Lizotte) and the Injectors called ‘Somebody on my love'. This is one great compilation of music for an Australian movie. After all these positive words on this movie, I know I will be shot down by other people around the world who truly do hate this film. Some of the comments already placed on this movie's IMDb page are very harsh and have nothing good to say. I disagree with these negative opinions, simply because I had a good experience watching this movie many years ago and just recently. I believe that this movie is not to dissimilar to the 1985 American sex comedy ‘Mischief', as it certainly had similar themes, characters and looked into the same time. ‘The delinquents' is an Australian movie that is a must see!CMRS gives ‘The Delinquents': 4 (Very Good Film)

I remember seeing this movie the day it opened (Boxing Day) 1989, and was completely blown away by Kylie's performance. A TV actress, singer and now bona fide movie star, there seemed to be no stopping her. Of course as we now know there were many movie mistakes to follow. But this still stands as one of her finest efforts and is still an enjoyable piece of escapist moviemaking.