Standing up for Sunny (Steven Vidler, 2019) wr. Steven Vidler, dp Mark Bliss; R.J. Mitte, Philippa Northeast, Sam Reid, Matt Nable , Radha Mitchell, Barry Humphries, Felix Williamson, Josh McConville
'An isolated guy with cerebral palsy is railroaded into helping an unassertive comedienne, and finds love and acceptance through stand up comedy.'
Another example of a non-actor getting the gig because of something unusual about them. Phillipa Northeast is sweet; everything else is forgettable.
Jess Fenton:
Standing Up For Sunny sports some of most grossly unnatural and embarrassing dialogue ever (but you do eventually get used to it) with shots that look as though they were filmed from the bushes of Sydney’s hottest suburbs in an effort to avoid permit fees. Also, in this world, becoming a stand-up comedian and a breakfast radio host are fallback jobs! Not something someone spends their entire life aspiring to. Wow, what a time to be alive.
And filmmaking 101 - secondary and tertiary characters are there for comic relief and plot devices; pawns in place to help move the story along or to help fill in information gaps where necessary. In this movie their [sic!] there for two reasons: 1).yeah, I don’t know, and 2) to help push the main character’s horrific backstories. This is for reasons I’m unsure of, but it is something that Australian filmmakers do infuriatingly often. Keep in mind this is a comedy, so why wouldn’t you throw in some sexual abuse, an eating disorder and family violence? What a laugh riot they are. And let’s not forget the emotionally abuse [sic] relationship. Oh please stop, my sides are splitting. Switch.
Groves, Don, 'Alternate content releases run the gauntlet', IF, 9 December 2019. [He means 'alternative'.]
IMDb page
Garry Gillard | New: 10 December, 2019 | Now: 17 September, 2020