Imnozy This movie had fairly good reviews when it hit the cinemas here - and I frankly expected a lot more than it delivered.Having been around at the time, I wondered then why so much was being made of Sinatra's well known behaviour and his hatred of the press in general. I thought it was a predictable series of events blown up - mainly by Union intervention - into an imagined insult on Australia and all it stood for. A classic example of our cultural cringe. That the aforesaid cringe is still rampant is illustrated by the fact that anyone decided to make this movie.Itis totally impossible to cast anyone successfully as Frank Sinatra - the man was unique in so many ways. Dennis Hopper was I suppose a reasonable compromise, but his grating voice and total lack of charm spoilt much of the movie for me. Sinatra had a musical speaking voice, as well as his singing one - and his charm (when he chose to turn it on) was inescapable. Anyone unfamiliar with the Man, watching this movie would wonder what all the fuss was about. The ludicrous portrayal of Bob Hawke, a man who excelled in being ludicrous, was another disappointment. Tom Burlinson's delivery of the few songs was, as usual, competent and wooden - Hopper's "on-stage" lip-synching missed everything that was magical in a Sinatra performance. Melanie Griffith was - Melanie Griffith, the rest of the cast was competent and did their best with what in the end was nothing more than a fairytale wound loosely round an actual series of events.Not a totally bad movie - entertaining in parts - but on the whole a waste of time and money.

jonpuck This is loosely based on events that occurred during Frank Sinatra's tour of Australia where, after referring to a female reporter as a "two-bit hooker" he was black-banned by the local unions.Sadly, what could have been an interesting look at a clash of cultures, values and strong-willed individuals descends into something resembling a comedy sketch put on by a country repertory company.Dennis Hopper does a stirling job as Sinatra, with very little directorial support. After a while you start to believe he is Ol' Blue Eyes. But virtually all the other characters are painted in the broad brush strokes of low farce. Joel Edgerton plays the hapless promoter as a dim-witted surfer with a tendency to fall over or get beaten up in every second scene. Portia de Rossi is so loathsome in her role as the maligned journalist that I found myself cheering for Sinatra and the mob for most of the movie.And, in a masterstroke of bizarre casting and makeup, David Field blithely appears on screen looking about as much like Bob Hawke as my mum. Moreover, he seems to have made a conscious decision not to even attempt Hawke's accent, nor any of his well known mannerisms. The overall effect is as if the producers had decided to cast Dame Edna Everage in the role and hope that no-one would notice.Almost every Australian character in the film comes across as either a bumbling half-wit or a self-serving thug. I'm surprised Tourism Australia didn't try to have it banned. The sole exception is the delightful Rose Byrne who, as the love interest/voice of sanity, seems to have been beamed in from a parallel universe.Lamenting the state of the Australian film industry is a national pastime. I think much of it stems from the industry's long love affair with 'daggyness' for its own sake. Who finds this quirky and endearing any more? It's just embarrassing, and the rest of the world obviously thinks so too. This film, with its woeful dialogue, wooden 'school play level' direction, zero character motivation and absurd plot, admirably demonstrates the problem.

louis-73 This is not an offensively bad or even plain bad film, it just isn't very good either.The performance from Joeol Edgerton is good enough, and Portia pulls off a good Ozzie accent but Dennis Hopper and Mel seem ridiculously badly cast and frankly (hehe) make you hate Frank Sinatra from the get go.The plot is slower than a sloth running through molasses and nothing really happens - no tension, no real antagonist/protagonist struggle, just bumbles through what I believe is a semi-accurate take on the 74 tour of Oz by Frank.If it's the only thing left on the shelf then it passes 2 hours, otherwise grab something else to spend your time with.

Michael Soutar A surprisingly entertaining comedy about a young Aussie promoter (Joel Edgerton) who manages to convince Frank Sinatra and his crew to visit Australia for a few shows. All goes well until Frank Sinatra (Dennis Hopper) runs into a TV reporter (played by Ally McBeal's Portia de Rossi) who claims he spat on her at the airport. Frank won't apologise so in steps the ACTU led by a hilariously boof-headed Bob Hawke (wonderfully played by David Field of Two Hands fame) to bring Ol' Blue Eyes' tour to a stand-still, no room service, no phone, no water!The story follows the usual Hollywood style of story telling with the end of "act 2" being a big downer (everything just goes wrong) and of course it all comes good in the end. The acting is quite good across the board with cheeky Aussie comedy sitting alongside moving drama effortlessly.Frank Sinatra's music plays a big part in the film so if you're a fan you'll love the film, of course on the other hand if you can't stand his music then this may not be the film for you. The film makers did think to throw in a bit of 70s rock (think Led Zeppelin) and even an Elvis track to add a bit of variety to the mix.The only time in cringed during the whole film was when Frank's US-based secretary pronounced Australia with a fake American accent and put an "R" on the end, a common mistake made by Australian actors.3.5/5 See it if: you like Frank Sinatrayou'd like to visit Australia in the 1970syou want to see a hilarious portrayal of a young Bob Hawke (Hazel Hawke included)you like Rose Byrne (for the guys) or Joel Edgerton (for the girls)you like knuckle busting fist fightsyou don't think Melanie Griffith's top lip isn't too big Don't see it if:you don't like Frank Sinatrayou can't stand the thought of Sydney in 1974you think Bob Hawke was the best PM everyou wince whenever you hear a meaty punchyou think Melanie Griffith's top lip should have its own post code