Mullet
(2001)
Directed by David Caesar
Writing credits to David Caesar
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Cast:
Ben Mendelsohn |
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Eddie ãMulletä Maloney |
Susie Porter |
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Tully |
Andrew S. Gilbert |
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Peter Maloney |
Belinda McClory |
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Kay |
Tony Barry |
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Col |
Kris McQuade |
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Gwen |
Peta Brady |
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Robbie |
Wayne Blair |
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James |
Paul Kelman |
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Gary |
Steve Le Marquand |
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Jones |
Aaron Blabey |
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Terry |
Jim Webb |
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Big Bloke |
Nash Edgerton |
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Winger |
Bryan Brown |
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Publican (voice) |
Crew: |
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Producer |
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Vincent Sheehan |
Original Music |
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Paul Healy |
Cinematography |
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Robert Humphries |
Film Editing |
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Mark Perry |
Casting |
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Shauna Wolifson |
Production Design |
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Elizabeth Mary Moore |
Art Direction |
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Benay Ellison |
Costume Design |
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Melinda Doring |
Production Manager |
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Michelle Russell |
Second Assistant Director |
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Kazmer Harangozo |
First Assistant Director |
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John Titley |
Dialogue Editor |
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Julius Chan |
Sound |
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Liam Egan |
Sound Recordist |
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Paul Finlay |
Sound Re-recording Mixer |
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Phil Judd |
Visual Effects Producer |
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Murray Pope |
Location Manager |
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Della Churchill |
Production Co-coordinator |
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Vanessa Critchley |
Gaffer |
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Geoff Maine |
Production Secretary |
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Tanya PHegan |
Assistant editor |
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Peter Powell |
Continuity |
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Linda Ray |
Key Grip |
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Rod Reyes |
Focus Puller |
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Kevin Scott |
Release Dates and Details:
Australia: June 28, 2001
UK: July 6, 2002 (Commonwealth Film Festival)
Philippines: September 20, 2003 (Australian Film Festival)
Box Office:
Opening figures: $120, 280
Total $AUD: $1,157,161
Production Details:
Production Companies |
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Australian Film Commission |
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New South Wales Film and Television Office |
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Porchlight |
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Premium Movie Partnership |
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SBS Independent |
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Showtime Australia |
Distributors |
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Dendy Films Australia |
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The Globe Film Company Australian |
Cast and Crew History:
CAST FILMOGRAPHY:
David Caesar (director)
Director Filmography:
Fireflies |
2004 |
TV Series |
Crashburn |
2003 |
TV Series |
Bad Cop, Bad Cop |
2002 |
TV Series( episodes 5-8) |
Dirty Deeds |
2002 |
Feature Film |
Mullet |
2001 |
Feature Film |
Stingers |
1998 |
TV Series |
All Saints |
1998 |
TV Series |
Halifax F.P. |
1997 |
TV Series |
Wildside |
1997 |
TV Series |
Twisted Tales |
1996 |
TV Series |
Idiot Box |
1996 |
Feature Film |
Water Rats |
1996 |
TV Series |
The Feds |
1993 |
TV Film |
Greenkeeping |
1992 |
Feature Film |
Body Works |
1988 |
Feature Film |
Writer - Filmography
Dirty Deeds |
2002 |
|
Mullet |
2001 |
|
Idiot Box |
1996 |
|
Greenkeeping |
1992 |
|
Robert Humphries (Cinematographer)
Cinematographer - Filmography
Fat Cow Motel |
2003 |
TV Series |
Walking On Water |
2002 |
|
Mullet |
2001 |
|
Confessions of a Headhunter |
2000 |
|
Stolen Generations |
2000 |
|
The Diplomat |
2000 |
|
Joy |
2000 |
|
Flowergirl |
1999 |
|
Help Me |
1999 |
|
The Pitch |
1998 |
|
The Christmas Cake |
1996 |
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Vincent Sheehan (Producer)
Producer - Filmography
Little Fish |
2005 |
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Mullet |
2001 |
|
The Sapphire Room |
1997 |
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CAST FILMOGRAPHY
Ben Mendelsohn (Eddie 'Mullet' Maloney)
Second Chance |
2004 |
TV |
Black and White |
2002 |
|
Mullet |
2001 |
|
Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story |
2001 |
TV |
Vertical Limit |
2000 |
|
Sample People |
2000 |
|
Secret Menâs Business |
1999 |
TV |
Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude |
1998 |
TV Mini-series |
Amy |
1998 |
|
True Love and Chaos |
1997 |
|
Close-ups |
1996 |
TV Series |
Idiot Box |
1996 |
|
Cosi |
1996 |
|
Halifax F.P. |
1995 |
TV: ãMy Lovely Girlä |
Metal Skin |
1994 |
|
Sirens |
1994 |
|
Say a Little Prayer |
1993 |
|
Map of The Human Heart |
1993 |
|
Spotswood |
1992 |
|
Quigley Down Under |
1990 |
|
The Big Steal |
1990 |
|
Nirvana Murder Street |
1990 |
|
Return Home |
1990 |
|
This Man·This Woman |
1989 |
|
Lover Boy |
1988 |
|
All the Way |
1988 |
TV Mini Series |
Neighbours |
1985 |
TV Series |
The Year My Voice Broke |
1987 |
|
Fame and Misfortune |
1986 |
TV Series |
Prime Time |
1986 |
TV Series |
The Henderson Kids |
1985 |
TV Series |
The Still Point |
1985 |
|
Farscape |
1999 |
Episode # 3.19 |
Love Is a Four Letter Word |
2001 |
Episode # 1.23 |
Good Guys, Bad Guys |
1997 |
Episode # 1.9 |
Snowy McGregor |
1993 |
Episode # 3.5 |
Police Rescue |
1990 |
Episode # 4.13 |
The Flying Doctors |
1986 |
Episode # 2.14 and 5.22 |
Special Squad |
1984 |
Episode # 1.14 |
Susie Porter (Tully)
State Of Play |
2003 |
TV Mini-Series |
Sway |
2002 |
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Teesh and Trude |
2002 |
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Star Wars:Episode II |
2002 |
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Mullet |
2001 |
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Bootmen |
2000 |
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Monkeyâs Mask |
2000 |
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Better Than Sex |
2000 |
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Feeling Sexy |
1999 |
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Two Hands |
1999 |
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Aftershocks |
1998 |
Tv Series |
Amy |
1998 |
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Welcome to Woop Woop |
1997 |
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Paradise Road |
1997 |
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Mr Reliable |
1996 |
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Idiot Box |
1996 |
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|
|
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Herself - Filmography
Cleo Bachelor 2002: Real Men Revealed (2002) (TV) .... Herself
... aka Cleo Bachelor of the Year (2002) (TV) (Australia)
ANDREW S GILBERT (Peter Maloney)
Actor - Filmography
Ned Kelly |
2003 |
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The Real Thing |
2002 |
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Dirty Deeds |
2002 |
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Rabbit Proof Fence |
2002 |
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Mullet |
2001 |
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The Dish |
2000 |
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In A Savage Land |
1999 |
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Paperback Hero |
1999 |
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Justice |
(1998/II) |
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Oscar and Lucinda |
1997 |
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Kiss or Kill |
1997 |
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Idiot Box |
1996 |
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The Custodian |
1993 |
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No Worries |
1993 |
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Shotgun Wedding |
1993 |
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Deadly |
1991 |
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Sweet Talker |
1991 |
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|
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Belinda McClory (Kay)
Actress ö Filmography:
Dark Love Story |
2004 |
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Cubbyhouse |
2001 |
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Mullet |
2001 |
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Redball |
1999 |
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The Matrix |
1999 |
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Hotel de Love |
1996 |
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Life |
1996 |
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Awards and Recognition:
Official Selection Shanghai International Film Festival 2002
Winner Best Direction Shanghai International Film Festival 2002
Winner Best Script Australian Writers Guild Awards 2001
Film Critics Circle of Australia (2002)
Nominated for: Best Film
Best Actor, Ben Mendelsohn
Best Director, David Caesar
Awarded: Best Supporting Actor to Andrew S. Gilbert (Peter Maloney)
Best Screenplay to David Caesar
Australian Film Institute Awards (2001)
Nominated for: Best Actor, Ben Mendelsohn
Best Supporting Actor, Andrew S. Gilbert
Best Supporting Actress, Belinda McClory
Best Achievement in Direction, David Caesar
Best Original Screenplay, David Caesar
Research
The interviews were particularly difficult to find, and after endless searching I discovered that there were no full interviews with David Caesar on his film Mullet, but there were several regarding his other films. Looking for reviews and information, Google was very helpful, but I found other search engines such as Ninemsn, goEureka, Altavistaand Yahoo proved to be less successful. The IMdb website was helpful with locating reviews.
Synopsis
As taken from the www.mullet.net.au website.
Life in the small NSW coastal fishing town of Coollawarra is disrupted when former football hero and local larrikin Eddie ÎMulletâ Maloney returns to face everything that he walked out on three years ago.
At first, things seem to be just as Mullet left them. His dad Col is still coaching the local footy team and Îhappilyâ not speaking to his mum, Gwen, who is just as Îhappyâ. His older brother Pete is still the incorruptible local cop, still the all-round nice guy who Mullet thought was bound to finish last. Kay still serves beers down the pub, and still looks for love
in all the wrong places, trying to extinguish that torch she still carries for Mullet. And the old row boat is just where Mullet left it, by the river near the old caravan.
However Mullet quickly discovers that all is not the same and people have moved on. Especially his old flame, Tully, the feisty young woman he walked out on three years ago and who is now married. Slowly trouble starts to mount. Mullet turns on his mates, estranges his parents and takes the daring step of calling on Tully, placing doubt in her mind about her marriage.
Solution.? A good old Aussie BBQ - beers and burnt meat. If everyone can all act 'nice and normal' everything will be fine...
MULLET is a disarmingly honest new Australian comedy/drama, a sometimes painful, often funny look at love, family and relationships.
Its universal story of the search for a place to belong, and is told with a winning charm, a knockabout Australian sense of humour and a bit of singing.
Details of on-site location and productions, are taken from http://www.mullet.net.au/mullet_about_location.html
Mullet was shot on location in Kiama and the Illawarra district of the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia over 4 weeks in June 2000.
Like most productions, the original shooting schedule combined some location shooting on the South Coast with all the interiors (and some exteriors) cheated in Sydney to save costs - this is a standard approach. However once the film was financed, it became increasingly clear to the filmmakers that post MI:2 & Matrix, Sydney was an expensive city to shoot in.
With the assistance of Film Illawarra (an organisation formed to encourage film production in the region), we were able to secure considerable support from the local councils as well as the Chamber of Commerce. But it was really the warm welcome and enthusiasm shown by the locals that sealed the deal. The people of Kiama and the Illawarra region gave us open access and offered new insights into the real world - the real people of the South Coast - and you can feel it on the screen. The variety in locations was quite extraordinary.
Review
ãPeople on the outside think small towns are full of rednecks, gossip, wisdom and preserved fruit, and although thereâs some of that there, thatâs not all itâs about. Its about people trying to get on with one another, and petty scandals, and people leaving. But now itâs about someone coming backä
In the opening scene of the film, mullets are written off as unwanted, a nuisance, something that tastes bad, and is only good for feeding to the chooks. This opening scene establishes the mullet as a metaphor for the unwanted.
Ben Mendelsohn plays Eddie Maloney, otherwise known as Mullet, the local larrikin of the Coollawarra Crows football team who returns to town after three years absence. Upon his return he is faced with many issues he was probably not expecting, and at the very least dreading, in regards to his family life and his ex-girlfriend Tully (Susie Porter). When he first arrived in the town, it appeared that nothing had changed: the townspeople are still down at the local football match on the weekends, his parents are still arguing and his familyâs caravan hasnât changed a bit. Of course he refuses to admit to anything regarding his past, remaining as vague and distant as possible, using humour to distract people from his past and his problems.
The film has a round-about way of getting to the point of Mulletâs return, by avoiding the issue that is facing the central characters. It is something no-one is willing to talk about, therefore leaving the audience in the dark as to the point of Mulletâs return. The viewer can easily perceive the discomfort that Mullet thrives on causing in Coollawarra, but the origins of their contempt are unknown for the first quarter of the film, leaving the audience to assume only that Mullet left on bad terms. The unidentified whereabouts of Mullet in the three years he was absent are only confused more by the rumours of his football career, writing career and producing career, all of which are vastly untrue.
The vague yet humorous personality trait that Ben Mendelsohn creates as Eddie Maloneyâs is commonly portrayed in Australian films, and is a useful way of covering information from the audience for a period of time while still being relevant to the storyline. But Eddie realises just how much things had changed when he is told that Tully has gotten married to his brother Pete while he had been gone. Although giving the film suspense to a degree, it does not provide a great deal of anticipation for the audience. The mystery surrounding Mulletâs life are built up considerably at the start of the film, only to be seemingly forgotten about later on, as the focus switches to why he left, in particular his past relationship with Tully, and not where he had been. As time goes on, Tully gets more and more distressed, torn between Mullet and his brother (and her husband) Pete. She appears to keep up a constant guard about Mullet, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible, despite it being obvious that his return has affected her greatly.
A significant point in the film is when Mullet stays the night at Kayâs, something he didnât seem to think too much about, but to which she took great offense. Mullet proceeds to tell her that by sleeping together everything would be different, not necessarily in a bad way, and in retaliation, Kay tells Eddie that no-one in town wants ãhis stupid fishä. The next day Eddie goes back to the fish market with his catch of mullet, possibly by means of proving Kay wrong, but also to give another speech to Robbie on his philosophies of life, this time addressing the relation between a goldfishâs memory to a life being new and therefore seemingly perfect.
When Eddie and Tully finally get to talk about him leaving her with no explanation, she opens her heart to him about her and Peter, while Eddie can only be impertinent in his reply, asking her ãWhat about love?ä Eddieâs holds a lot of respect for the people around him, although he shows it in a uniquely Australian way. He makes jokes, and uses sarcasm to hide his discomfort, allowing him to show his respect for people in ways that the others do not realise.
The relationship between Mulletâs parents is shown early in the film as rocky, which gives great reason for Eddieâs own attitude towards relationships. However by the barbeque towards the end of the film, it is obvious that despite appearing unhappy in their marriage, they are actually perfect for each other. Eddieâs father speaks about his wife:
ãDo you wanna know what I know about love? Iâll tell ya. Some mornings I wake up next to your mother and I think, who the bloody hell are you? And there are other mornings I wake up and I look at her and I think ÎThank Christ youâre here, cause at least I know where I am.â Its about taking the good with the bad, cause you donât get one without the other.ä
The significance of this speech applies greatly to the scene that is about to occur, where Tully appears with Peteâs gun and announces her pregnancy amid tears. It is at this point that Mullet realises that all of the anguish and indecision he has carried about Tully is worthless now, as she knows that the place for her is with Peter, and not himself. He
Observations:
There seem to be a lot of things about Eddie that are vague from the first time that we see him. In his conversation with the driver he was elusive as to his whereabouts for the past three years, and I thought that he would overcome this soon, but it is apparent that he has achieved nothing while he was away from his home town and returned, not out of loyalty but to sort out his unfinished business. It is frustrating at times watching Mullet interact with people, sometimes it seems he holds too much respect for others and himself to say anything at all. Body language is imperative to Mulletâs relationships, and the few words he does actually speak are thought out and often repetitive. BenMendelsohnâs almost cheeky appearance adds a necessary spark to his character, which would have been destroyed by any other actor. The honesty in the face of Andrew S. Gilbert is perfect for his character, adding an Aussie charm and reliability to Peteâs personality.
Although the film is said to be slow-moving and anti-climatic, the final scenes at the barbeque successfully finalise the issues that Eddie has been attempting to deal with throughout the whole film. his final car ride with Kay leads to the idea that Kay and Eddie have something between them more than friendship, but leaves it open for interpretation. A lot of the tensions that have arose during the film were resolved. It was obvious by the end of the film that there were no problems with Eddieâs parentsâ relationship; it was just made out to be nothing but a bit of joking around between the two of them. This alone brought a sense of finality to the close of the film, while the pregnancy of Tully ended anything that could have occurred between herself and Mullet. the first time that I remember watching this film, I recall being happy that Tully and Mullet wouldnât get back together, and then that the movie only really finished when Mullet and Kay discovered that they had feelings for each other, as much as they hated to admit it. When I watched Mullet in class this year, it had been a couple of years since I had last seen it, and I found myself laughing at the same parts: where the parents are fighting through their son as I could relate to the humour as it is in my family situation. Being able to relate to a film and its characters is one of the best aspects of Australian films, because not only can you relate to their circumstances, but you can usually associate the area of the films location to a memory or even another film, therefore making the film much more personal. What I love about Mullet is that Eddie is so lovable and dislikable at the same time: I love his wit and quick thinking, but sometimes the way he deals with people he loves makes me hate him. The way that Mullet handles himself is so realistic, while the emotions of Tully are so strong that I find it hard to dislike her character. Eddie tries to make the audience hate Tully, blaming her for getting together with his brother, when really what Eddie finds hardest to face is that itâs all his fault. What this film able to show us is that while it is so easy to judge other people, it is even harder to judge yourself and admit your own mistakes, especially to yourself.
David Caesar has the ability to create strong characters which the audience is able to relate to, and despite the film being 10 years in the making, it is still relevant in so many ways to country life as it is today.
Critical Review
The reviews for Mullet fall clearly into two categories: upbeat and positive, or negative and unwilling to give any compliments to the film. The first 8 reviews all praise David Caesar, and the casting decisions made with Ben Mendelsohn, Susie Porter and Andrew S. Gilbert. The final three reviews are so incredibly negative, it makes you wonder if it is the same film that is being reviewed. These reviews had nothing nice to say about the film, which is odd considering how much praise that the film received. It is also notable that the negative reviews were taken from international reviewers, while the Australian critics were able to find the many good points of the film.
http://www.iofilm.co.uk/fm/m/mullet_2000.shtml
-This review seems to be written by an angry English person who doesnât have any idea of the Australian humour and way of life. By saying ãMovies that aim for realism should still have some humour. Mullet has none at all.ä This person seems to have little knowledge of anything Australian, and is doing their best to put the movie down without discussing anything positive that it achieves.
http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/review.php?movie=4704
-Mullet ãcomes across as REAL and poignantly funny, as opposed to embarrassingly laughableä. This review is remarkably more upbeat than others, despite disliking Eddieâs lack of depth and crediting the casting decisions.
-This review is positive towards Mullet and the charcterisation and overall mood of the film, suggesting that the film the film conveys much more than is said. An overall positive outlook on Mullet, with credits to David Caesar.
http://www.sbs.com.au/movieshow/reviews.php3?id=718
-'Provides a rich microcosm of contemporary Australia'
http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/review/film/s326317.htm
-'true-hearted universal themes and a settled confident style'
http://www.abc.net.au/newcastle/stories/s339900.htm
-'A little Aussie pearler· and the results are terrific!'
- Honest, witty and grounded: a global theme with a familiar feeling.
http://www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk/swmullet.htm
- A perfectly formed little film that doesn't resort to cliches in any way.
http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/film_reviews/article_834.asp
- A tremendously engaging film
http://www.femail.co.uk/pages/standard/article.html?in_article_id=104962
- An aimless tale, predictable every step of the way.
http://www.aufs.org/reviews/film/mullet.html
- This review thinks that Mullet doesnât really achieve anything but it is an obvious Australian film that is modestly average.
http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=106225
- describes Eddie as the singularly most unsympathetic character, unembraceable, yet rewarding as a glimpse of Australian life that has nothing to do withErinsborough.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/arts/atoday/stories/s317941.htm
- Part of an interview with David Caesar
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/01/14/mullet.html
- Critique by John Flaus
Interviews:
Interviews with David Caesar are extremely difficult to find, and I was unable to find any regarding Mulletâs release. There seemed to be several articles on the UrbanCinefilewebsite, but since I do not have a subscription I was not able to view them in full text. If you have a subscription, then the interview is available athttp://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=4991&s=Interviews
There are many interviews available online regarding David Caesarâs previous film Idiot Box, but there seems to be little available on Mullet without a subscription.
Online Presence:
I used the following search engines to find relevant information on the film and its cast and crew, along with reviews:
Altavista
GoEureka
Yahoo
Ninemsn
They all provided me with greatly varied results, with Google giving the widest variety of results. I also used some of the links provided on the MED231 site to gain information on Mullet.
Position in Australian Cinema:
Mullet has the ability for the audience to relate to the characters and it is this trait which classifies it as typically Australian. Other Australian films such as The Castle andMuriels Wedding are perfect examples of the stereotypical Australian life, and although Mullet cannot be put into the same category as these two films, they all fit into the same genre: Drama/Comedy. This is the official genre released with Mullet, and it is interesting to note that these films are all distinctively different and unique. In comparison, Mullet takes a much darker approach to life in general and uses sarcastic humour to provide laughs, while in other Australian films, the audience is made to laugh at the characters, and not with them. Despite sounding like a negative standpoint of Mullet, it is a standout quality of David Caesarâs to allow the audience to laugh with Eddie Maloney, and not at his antics. In relation to other typically Australian films, Mullet provides people with an obscure view of the life of a ãlone rangerä type character returning to his home town.
Links:
-Box Office details and Mullets ranking for year/overall (#129 for year 2001)
www.afc.gov.au/australianfilmsandawards
- Details of film awards and nominations in Australia
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0261842/
- Details on Mullet, production cast and crew.
http://www.madmancinema.com.au/CatItem.php?CatNo=MMA2015
- Video information on Mullet.
- The official Mullet website.