jse126 How much can one say about a film that they truly loved? I find it much easier to write about the ones that are bad; not the ones that are badly made but entertaining in their earnestness, but the ones that Hollywood keeps churning out to a worldwide audience that grows exponentially. The ones that Karl Marx might today call the opiate of the masses; although I, having experienced both, am here to say that opiates are much more enjoyable than "Die Hard 9" or any film with Jerry Seinfeld providing the voice of a bee could ever be. I could just get off my soapbox and let it go, but the tragedy is that most Americans are f'ing idiots who, by substituting Hollywood's audience tested, product placed, fast food promo'd exercises in greatest common denominator blandness for any real and meaningful interaction with their fellow humans, make it so insanely profitable for the film INDUSTRY to churn out these movies that they lead other countries who previously produced great "small" films like Love Serenade into a sparkling future of uncompromising blandness.Fortunately Australia, probably through the sheer good fortune of being so far away from the USA, has not been bitten as hard by the bug as, say, Great Britain has (and I am a certified Anglophile - please UK, turn it around before it's too late!). They still make films like this one in Oz today, and, speaking of this one, I am supposed to be reviewing it, right? Blowhards on soapboxes going off-topic are almost as bad as bland Hollywood movies! But any time that I start to give my countrymen the benefit of doubt I hear something like "America's favorite singing rodents" - so perhaps at worst you can grant a terminal malcontent his eccentricities and at best stop giving the bloodsuckers your money?So- back to the subject at hand. This is a great movie! I loved everything about it. I'd have to say that the fish sub-theme is biggest stretch here, but it was not obtrusive and seemed to fit, sort of, in some way that will probably hit me at 3am on some sleepless night in the future. I like fish, anyway; I mean to look at them. I stopped fishing because I felt bad about killing them, although I did eat them and wasn't some a-hole on the pro bass fishing circuit (think about those four words for a moment - when did we become a people that needs a pro bass fishing circuit?) who found his American dream at the expense of the dream of a lot of fish. Yeah, they release them, but how would you like to be repeatedly jabbed with a hook and pulled from your house, unable to breathe while people did strange things to you, then released only to have it happen again, every year like clockwork; while a bunch of loud and strange machines fly about overhead and make your eyes burn and everything smell bad? And of course many of those fish swallow the hook and die, or die from the stress. So a bunch of fat morons can get rich and famous. We're not talking one guy standing on the shore with a fishing pole here. What's NOT for sale in America? OK soapbox guy emerged again, sorry! But the fish topic is relevant here. For a movie that's not about fish, it's about fish a lot. Characters: Ken Sherry - talk about love/hate. I alternately thought he was sorta cool (he wasn't, but I am an Anglophile, remember?) and a slimeball (he was). The girls, I'd never heard the name Dimity before but if I ever have a daughter I'm gonna name her Dimity. I like it. And yes, she IS odd. Her sister is annoying, but not TOO annoying. Both are cute to look at and likable in their ways. Albert is the sleeper here. Just about everything he said was gold. And I swear to you - I have had the urge to break into "Wichita Lineman" for absolutely no reason before, and have. Long before I ever saw this film. Did I tap into some universal unconscious "Wichita Lineman" thing? Who knows? But I do know that that soundtrack was excellent. Spot on. And Ken's semi-profound soliloquy? I knew where it came from, but if you don't then you will be quite surprised if you ever do find out (it's not credited but it is on an album by a famous person). If you prefer pirate Johnny Depp to Dead Man Johnny Depp, don't bother with this movie. Actually you are probably not even reading this, and if you are reading it, you have no idea that I've been making fun of you the whole time. You and I have absolutely nothing in common. But I will give you some great advice - you'd enjoy a couple of hours at Wal-Mart a lot more than you would watching this. For the rest of you, enjoy it. And a bit of knowledge about the end (which I did not know until later) makes it all the more poignant. RIP.

roystonv This movie is a little gem in which all the odd ingredients come together to form a surprisingly spot-on depiction of Australian life for a large percentage of the population. It scores big points for depicting life in the fairly unglamorous and largely forgotten country towns. The two sisters, especially the Rebecca Frith character (why this movie didn't make her a superstar is a shock to me) are spot on. But where this movie makes the leap from good Aussie flick to comic gem is its lack of fear in being strange. I won't spoil the many surprising treats by giving any of them away here but I will say that if you're a fan of Preston Sturges, this movie is his unlikely Aussie bastard child.

istalvies As a counter to the negative comments elsewhere re this film - I found it extremely funny. Although I should note that I'm from country Australia where this is based - so it's not surprising that people from elsewhere might not appreciate the humour eg. references to the "excitement of Brisbane."However if you grew up having picnics in windswept Rotary parks, riding about dusty streets and choosing between the ABC and one other channel, this is definitely worth a look. Miranda Otto as Dimity is solid enough, but the character of Ken Sherry makes the film - a reptilian, tai chi following, Hawaiian shirt wearing DJ that will make you cringe with laughter throughout.

Hereafter Overshadowed during its release by the tragic death of a stuntman Collin Dragsbaek during production, Love Serenade rises as a refreshing, observation rich film about despairing souls that happen to come together in "Sunray" a fictional country town. A town like so many real ones in Australia that manage to have a forlorn charm that shines through isolation and solitude. Love Serenade manages to sensitively capture this intangible quality to cradle its story within.The title "Love Serenade' may have done some damage to its success as it could to easily have pigeoned holed it as a emotion saturated "chick flick". Ironically, once you know the film the title is perfect.Essentially the film seems to be about the seductive power of persona fueled by the material mediums associated with it, in this case it's a 40 something DJ and his melodic 70's playlist. Within this entrapment all is normal and comfortable with the victim, but for the observer, in this case us the viewer, there are alarm bells and sirens going off everywhere.DJ Ken Sherry represents what the mass media machine eventually spits out, burnt out celebrity that have been superseded by a new stock. To unfashionable to be seriously employed and to active to be retired these cast offs gravitate to anywhere that still attaches notions of greatness to there foundering media statue. George Shevtsov slips into the roll of the sleazy veteran DJ like a duck to water. His astonishing performance manages to contrive a personality that can only be described as revoltingly charming. Drawing on a a wealth of DJ streetwise experience "Ken Sherry" has an an opportunistic toy about with the misguided adoration of two local sisters. The resulting personality confrontations and moral diversities therein carries the film to its daring strange then stranger end.Brilliantly written and directed by Shirley Barrett 'Love Serenade' is a great example of one persons vision being crafted and produced by a competent team that have taken on a singular vision. Its curious "fish" diversions and irratic surreal moments will have a large audience drop off, leaving a faithful few that will love it forever.10/10