ROCK AND ROLL NERD
ROCK AND ROLL NERD |
 |
Documentary about comedian Tim Minchin and his spectacular rise from a nobody in Melbourne to a somebody in London. | score 3 |
moviereview rates films from 1 (unwatchable) to 5 (unmissable) |
| FIND A MOVIEREVIEW |
| Cast Tim Minchin, Sarah Minchin Director Rhian Skirving Screenwriter Documentary Country Australia Rating / Running Time MA / 89 minutes Australian Release November 2008 Official Site (c) moviereview
2006-2008
ABN 72 775 390 361 |
A
young man with ordinary hair and a gift for piano wants to be a rock n
roll nerd. So what do you do with a going-nowhere comedy show and a
craving for affirmation? First you get a new hairdresser then send
yourself to the Melbourne Comedy Festival. Lucky Tim Minchin. The
gifted comedian not only wins the inaugural Director’s Choice
award, but he wins the attention of a serious player from the Edinburgh
Fringe Festival. Next stop, Scotland. Skirving’s intriguing documentary is a devious creature. What starts in Minchin and wife Sarah’s cramped home has the complexity of standard reality TV. Their back-story is told in a capable yet not especially gripping fashion – a tale of hope, ambition and empty back accounts. Yet there is a subtle gear change that takes place as Skirving’s audience suddenly finds itself thrown to the front of their seats. Perhaps it’s Minchin’s candidacy, his newfound success, or his music. But here is a man going somewhere big, and we want to know where. Fortunately, Skirving’s cameras catch it all in this delightfully revealing, funny and often painfully honest account. Everyone loves a rags to riches story, especially one layered in social criticism and delivered with a sparkling tune and an offensive tongue. Musical comedy is Minchin’s job and the public clearly love what he does. Skirving was lucky to be in the right place at the right time and luckier still, he takes us with him to watch as a new star is born. // COLIN FRASER |