Ryan Kwanten as Jonah.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports
True Blood's
Ryan Kwanten is the biggest star in Not Suitable for Children, but
emerging actress Sarah Snook shines just as brightly in this edgy and fresh
Australian romantic comedy.
Before
all you guys read "romantic comedy" and sprint directly to your Rambo
and The Hangover DVDs, you should know that Not Suitable for Children
doesn't really fit into your typical mould.
It's
set in Sydney's pulsing inner-west, where the popular party boy Jonah (Kwanten)
lives in a share-house with Stevie (Snook) and Gus (Ryan Corr), and survives
off the profits from their epic house parties.
This
carefree sex, drugs and booze lifestyle is abruptly altered when Jonah
discovers he has testicular cancer. What's more, because his swimmers have an
issue with the freezing process, the required operation in four weeks' will
render him infertile.
It's
refreshing to have a movie about a guy's biological clock ticking and Kwanten
plays the loveable idiot Jonah so well, it's hard not to feel sorry for him.
With
babies on the brain, he tries to track down every woman he's been with,
including an ex-girlfriend (Bojana Novakovic), to see if they're keen for
parenthood.
Kwanten
nails the subtle and often awkward humour, particularly in a scene where he
meets with a lesbian couple on his hunt for a willing mother for his child.
As
the child-hating Stevie, who decides to help Jonah in his search, Snook is a
stand-out. With a natural charm, she just jumps out from the screen and despite
having just one other feature film credit (a small part in Sleeping Beauty),
she holds her own opposite Kwanten.
Having
just missed out on being cast as Lisbeth in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
remake, Snook is definitely one Aussie actress to watch - she's got quite a
career ahead of her yet.
Corr
doesn't get as much to do as comic support, but he does get laughs,
particularly in a scene where all three friends sit at a table and there are
noticeable sparks between Stevie and Jonah.
Filled
with a youthful energy, Not Suitable for Children is the feature film
debut for director Peter Templeman, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2007 for
his short film Saviour.
Written
by Michael Lucas (TV's Offspring), it's easy to tell where the plot is
going, but the dialogue is funny, surprising and touching while still steering
clear of sentimental cliches.
Not
everyone will be comfortable with the premise, but Not Suitable for Children
is a smart Aussie film, that's funny and raunchy, but also tugs at your
heartstrings.
Word
of advice: don't watch the trailer for this one. As with most
"rom-coms", it gives a lot away, and it's far better to go into this
and be surprised.
Not Suitable for Children in Australian cinemas
now.
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