Three Summers (Ben Elton, 2017) wr. Ben Elton, prod. Sue Taylor, Michael Wrenn, dp Katie Milwright; Rebecca Breeds, Robert Sheehan, Deborah Mailman, Magda Szubanski, Michael Caton, Jacqueline McKenzie, John Waters, Kelton Pell, Kate Box, Caroline Brazier, Peter Rowsthorn; romcom; WA
This is a tight, well-constructed and well-written comedy, comparable to something by Molière, say. The critics represented below who think it's about social issues or whatever are missing the generic point. It's that hardest of all scripts to write: a successful romcom. Ben Elton succeeds.
Richard Gray:
At the World Premiere of the film in Melbourne, Elton said the film probably wouldn’t fix the ills of society but 'it’s not going to do any harm, and that’s probably enough'. He’s undoubtedly right, but it’s also worth pondering whether it will do any good either. Three Summers is not subversive enough to change minds, but too niche to speak to a broader audience. It sits somewhere in the middle, and in these politically trying times, that’s definitely not enough. Richard Gray, thereelbits.
Alex Lines:
... Elton [gives] us an incredibly diverse mixture of characters who inhabit different races, ages, genders, backgrounds and dilemmas. In an attempt to make a Robert Altman-esque comedy with a huge cast, he did the one thing that seems to be holding his own characters back: he played it way too safe. Alex Lines.
Garry Gillard | New: 25 March, 2018 | Now: 24 March, 2022