Danny Deckchair
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Movie Reviews of Danny Deckchair
Movie Review: Another Aussie great
Summary: 4 Stars
Danny Deckchair is a film that allows one to look at every day life, and the simple things that can make one's life better. A very romantic and funny movie.Movie Review: Danny Deckchair
Summary: 4 Stars
A charming, quirky and whimsical romantic comedy. Well casted and thoroughly entertaining. A good opportunity to experience Miranda Otto's comedic talents.Movie Review: A sweet movie
Summary: 4 Stars
DD is a sweet movie movie. It's not a masterpiece of Australian cinema, but it has a lot of heart. An enjoyable hour and a half.Movie Review: Wonderful Movie
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a wonderful story that showed what can be accomplished when you have your sanity being eroded. I like the story line.Movie Review: You Get What You Need
Summary: 3 Stars
Apparently, in 1982 there really was a fellow who tied a bunch of weather balloons to a lawn chair and flew much higher and further than he expected. It's an outlandish enough story that it makes sense that sooner or later someone would see it as the germ of a film idea.
Writer Jeff Balsmeyer correctly makes this the centerpiece of the story, a transforming experience for cement man Danny Morgan (Rhys Ifans), an oddball ne'er-do-well who shares a home in Sydney with his attractive, ambitious girlfriend, realtor Trudy Dunphy (Justine Clarke). Their relationship is under a strain. Most people don't pay attention to Danny and his brainstorms. He makes do, though, with his blue-collar job, punctuated by camping vacations and the construction of the odd human slingshot. Trudy, on the other hand, longs for something more.
Along comes handsome newscaster Sandy Upman (Rhys Muldoon), and, tired of Danny's inertia, Trudy's head begins to turn. She lies to Danny, scuttling their outdoor trip to nurture her professional connection with Sandy. It isn't looking good for Danny, and in desperation he cooks up a stunt, buying helium and castoff advertising balloons. It all comes to a head at a big weekend cookout, and he accidentally becomes airborne.
Like many romantic comedies, this accident delivers Danny to a new place and new possibilities. He crash-lands miles away from home, in the back yard of Glenda Lake, whose solitude threatens to make her the town spinster. To avoid embarrassment, she and Danny fabricate a new identity for him. His impulsive style charms Glenda, and she's not the only one - people begin to listen to Danny. His workaday background endears him to them, and his spontaneity spreads through the town. The challenger in the upcoming mayoral election, "Big Jim" Craig, hires Danny as his campaign manager. Danny's life has never felt so focused.
While all this is going on, Trudy exploits Danny's disappearance to attract media attention, thereby drawing herself closer to Sandy. He's been gone long enough that the news story is taking on a tragic dimension. Unbeknownst to Trudy, Danny is so popular that he has begun to eclipse his employer as a possibility for mayor.
All of this comes to a head when a old flame of Glenda's discovers the truth about Danny, and, in an attempt to discredit him, leaks the story to the press. Danny and Trudy's reunion is a bigger story than ever, and Sydney warmly embraces their newest celebrities. It's up to Danny to decide which of his diverging lives is the true one, and which is the fiction.
This is a well-travelled path, and its charm lies almost entirely in its execution. Rhys Ifans is handsome enough to be a romantic leading man, but fun and believable with the impulsive quirks that land him in trouble. Justine Clarke walks the fine line, making her character compelling while doing very unsympathetic things. Miranda Otto also strikes an impressive balance - she makes a pretty leading lady while being convincing as the inadvertent town wallflower.
What makes this story so appealing is that it's one of a misfit finding his true home and purpose with a community who really cares about him. It's heartening to see a seemingly irresponsible guy clicking into acceptance without sacrificing his priciples or identity. Surprisingly, both city and small-town life are shown to be flawed - Trudy represents the impersonal ambition of the city, while Danny's small-town candidate spouts populist tripe and philanders with his constituents.
The plot's not without its own blemishes. Once Danny is caught in his lie, the townsfolk seem completely unconcerned that they've been misled for quite a while. Additionally, the mayoral race vanishes entirely, perhaps cut to restore the audience's patience. Still, "Danny Deckchair", while perhaps not a film for the ages, is a satisfying, charming tale.