juneebuggy This was pretty good. A little Disney-esque in that nothing too terrible happens and its all wrapped up very nicely. Family friendly. Still an interesting and infectious story if nothing too memorable and fairly predictable. Inspired by actual events it follows four aboriginal Australian girls from a from a small prejudiced town who form a singing group in the 1960s who travel to Vietnam to preform for American troops after being trained by a good humoured talent scout. The girls were great, the vocal singing performances well done -not sure if real voices. Chris O'Dowd was entertaining/funny but I've seen this exact role from him before. (Bridesmaids)I appreciated that this touched on some crappy reality like how Aboriginal children were removed from their families by the Australian government especially the "white looking" ones from approximately 1909 to 1969. Same thing happened in Canada. As a point of interest Aboriginal persons were not classified as human beings but "flora & fauna" until 1967.

Irishchatter I honestly would never thought a Boyle man like Chris O'Dowd can sing brilliantly and be involved on a Australian musical film. He was awesome like, this is such a big step for his acting career to take off further.The soundtrack was pretty great too and the four girls singing the songs were just so talented. I have to say, this is the best movie I've ever came across and I'm going to definitely put this on my best movies list, it's so underrated and just fantastic, no further words needed!

grantss Outback Australia, late-1960s. An Irish entertainer, Dave Lovelace, is working as an MC at a small pub. He is impressed by a trio of Aboriginal women who sang country tunes in a pub competition. Seeing an advert for musicians needed to entertain the troops in Vietnam, he convinces them to try out for the gig. Their cousin in Melbourne also joins the band. One thing - they will sing soul music. Sweet, energetic movie with great music. Plot is okay, though a bit cheesy and formulaic. Some scenes feel contrived - the race issues and discussions, while necessary and relevant, often seem to be jammed into the plot without much context. The basic set up of the movie - manager convinces bunch of struggling musicians to switch to soul music, rest is history - feels very derivative of The Commitments, especially as the manager is Irish.This all said, it is well-intentioned, is never dull and has a great energy and vibrancy. Some good humour too. Despite all the flaws you don't mind so much, due to the innocence and energy of it all.Best of all, the music is great. Many soul classics, performed and recorded well.

bob the moo I had heard nothing but generally positive things about this film but yet I had not really come across it anywhere till recently. The plot is based on a true story but I'm sure has been simplified down into this very simple telling where you'll pretty much know where it is going from the start to the end. In this way it is a very safe film and indeed the marketing plays on this a great deal; suffice to say it is very much a film that delivers just what you expect it to. In this regard it is pretty obvious but what makes it work is the spirit in which it is delivered; it has energy and fire which it really wears well.The soundtrack does a great deal to help it, but the energy in the comedy and the characters really helps. Everything is delivered with a good sense of fun with rough edges and it is very charming and effective throughout. The musical performances are great and moreso thanks to the cast. O'Dowd is a good bit of casting as he is in that middle ground of being a famous face but perhaps not yet leading a film on his own name. His character may be simple enough but he is good at it. Of the four women there is a sense that the film is rough with the realistic casting, looks and shapes; this is not to say they are not beautiful – just that they are not so in the way that films would traditionally put forward. Mailman is the best example as she is a great central character. Mauboy has a great pair of lungs on her and drives the performance while Tapsell is very good in support. Sebbens was probably the least engaging of the group as she has more "issues" to carry and is less naturally rough and fun.It may be a simple film on the face of it, but it has a lot of energy in the characters, the comedy and the music. Infectious and fun – it is not a great film but it is a very easy one to enjoy.