Australia

My mom and I went to see Australia while she was in town for Thanksgiving. This, the Baz Luhrman epic, starring an all-Aussie cast featuring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, a sweeping score, LOTR-like camera shots soaring across the plains and gorges and canyons of the Australian outback.

Now, to know me is to know that my movie tastes are fairly generous. I like Vin Diesel. I like Keanu Reeves. I liked Gladiator and Bring It On and Enchantment. Not that I'm not selective. I go to the movies to be entertained, to skip out on reality for awhile, to see something that makes me laugh or cry or sometimes - occasionally - think. So I try hard to enjoy myself - I don't worry about great lapses in plot or poor lighting or incredulous leaps of faith in the storyline. I don't look for the giveaway so I see the end coming a mile away. I try to overlook bad acting. I like to give in to the darkness of the theater, the cushioned seats, the giant screen illuminating the room. I find it relaxing. The hell if I'm not going to try to enjoy what I'm seeing.

And so, my dear LATO readers, it should come as no surprise to you that I loved Australia. We both did. Think combination Man From Snowy River, Gone With the Wind and Wizard of Oz. There were tears and chuckles and groans and smiles. There was the incredibly beautiful, utterly sculpted Hugh Jackman in one particular shot that panned over his bare torso as he heaved a bucket of water - in slow motion - up and over his head to rinse the suds off his body after a sweaty day spent herding cattle. Mmmm. And the always beguiling Nicole Kidman who transforms from the prim Brit to rancher woman, falling, of course, for the unbridled cattleman. There is action and intrigue and romance and death.

It is by no means a well-crafted story or a superbly acted film. Like the 3rd LOTR, it has 3 or 4 more endings than you expect. The bad guy continues to hang on...and on and on. It starts off with a comedic tone that is torpedoed as the film evolves from action to romance to drama. But all in all it's entertaining. Some of it you expect, some of it makes you pause. You root for justice, for the hero to kiss the heroine, for the deaths to be avenged, the dream pursued - the usual elements. Australia gives you 2 beautiful actors; stunning scenery; Aborigine stories and magic; Aussie sightings of Bryan Brown and David Wenham; a cute kid and enough to keep you interested as the plot rolls and loops and doubles back on you.

Two thumbs up and a handful of tissues for Australia.